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DAILY AI BRIEFING FOR EDUCATORS
HigherEd AI
Friday, December 12, 2025
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Today’s Focus
Figma Launches Three AI-Powered Image Editing Tools
Figma released three new AI-powered image editing tools this week: Erase Object, Isolate Object, and Expand Image. These tools work within the Figma canvas, eliminating the need to move between applications. A unified toolbar now consolidates all editing capabilities including the new AI features and existing tools like Remove Background and AI generation.
What makes this significant for educators is the democratization of professional design capabilities. Students no longer need expensive software licenses or hours of training to perform advanced image editing. They can now focus on design thinking rather than tool mastery. A communication student can isolate objects, erase backgrounds, and extend images for different formats without leaving Figma.
This reflects a larger pattern: creative tools are converging around AI-assisted workflows. The barrier between amateur and professional design work continues to disappear. For institutions teaching design, marketing, communications, or STEM visualization, this means curriculum must shift toward conceptual thinking and away from tool-specific instruction.
Worth considering:
When professional-grade image editing is built into free tools, what becomes the value of graphic design education? Is it tool expertise, visual thinking, or project management?
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Platform News
Google Releases Gemini Deep Research API
Google made its Gemini Deep Research API available this week, allowing developers and institutions to build applications that conduct comprehensive research synthesis. This goes beyond simple information retrieval—the API can analyze multiple sources, identify patterns, and generate detailed research reports.
For universities, this is infrastructure worth evaluating. If your institution wants to build AI-assisted research tools for students or faculty, Gemini Deep Research API provides a foundation. The question becomes: should universities build their own research synthesis tools customized to institutional needs, or adopt third-party solutions?
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Research Update
AI Code Generation Increases Burden on Code Reviewers
Research published this week shows that as AI generates more code, the burden on human reviewers increases dramatically. Code reviewers must now assess not just functionality but also whether AI-generated code is maintainable, efficient, and secure. The volume of code to review grows while the time available remains constant.
For computer science education, this matters. Students learning to code through AI assistance need to also learn to review and critique code—including code they didn’t write. This is a new skill that wasn’t emphasized in traditional CS curricula. Students need to understand how to evaluate AI-generated code critically.
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A Final Reflection
When AI does the creation, what becomes the important skill—understanding what was created or critically evaluating whether it should have been created at all?
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This newsletter synthesizes developments from TLDR AI, TLDR Design, TLDR DevOps, and primary source documentation. Each edition is curated specifically for higher education professionals.
Visit AskThePhD.com for more resources, daily tool tests, and tutorials for educators.
Dr. Ali Green
Professor & AI in Education Specialist
From the AskThePhD team at HigherEdAI
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