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January 2026

HigherEd AI Daily: January Archive

Curated by Dr. Ali Green. Practical, educator-first insights on AI in higher education.

Tools Mentioned (One Place)

A running list of the key tools referenced across this month’s briefings. For the complete tools library, visit Higher Ed AI Tools.

  • NotebookLM (Google) — referenced as an institution-ready tool in Jan 1 coverage: see Jan 1
  • Gemini for Education (Google) — classroom AI ecosystem referenced across multiple days: see Jan 2
  • Guided Learning (Gemini) — adaptive tutoring feature: see Jan 11
  • Google Classroom podcast-style lesson generation — Gemini-powered audio lessons: see Jan 8
  • ChatGPT Edu (OpenAI) — campus rollout use case: see Jan 4
  • Microsoft Elevate for Educators — PD + credentials + tools: see Jan 16
  • Microsoft Copilot (education context) — referenced in district pilots and governance conversations: see Jan 12
  • Learn Your Way (Google) — research tool showing retention gains: see Jan 16
  • AI governance + interoperability standards (procurement lens) — institutional “stack” focus: see Jan 3

January Daily Briefings (Jan 1–Jan 16)

  1. Jan 1: Welcome to 2026: Predictions, NotebookLM updates, and new IL laws
  2. Jan 2: Global AI rollout vs institutional readiness; RAND shows 15% jump
  3. Jan 3: Interoperability becomes non-negotiable; governance signals and moratorium debate
  4. Jan 4: USC launches ChatGPT Edu spring rollout; community-driven policy formation
  5. Jan 5: 5 predictions for 2026; Amazon expands AI education reach
  6. Jan 7: Agentic university use cases; Clemson AI microcredentials
  7. Jan 8: Google AI podcast tool; WGU Labs on emotionally intelligent AI
  8. Jan 9: Ohio mandates AI policy; students rate AI guidance highly
  9. Jan 11: Google Guided Learning; community colleges navigate AI revolution
  10. Jan 12: Agentic workflows; Sora Schools raises $10M
  11. Jan 13: 94% use AI; only 54% know institutional policies
  12. Jan 14: Brookings warns risks outweigh benefits; “hidden AI tax” on students
  13. Jan 15: Teachers report reasoning decline; federal regulation virtually nonexistent
  14. Jan 16: Microsoft Elevate; Google retention results; NYU-SUNY evidence lab