iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 11/08/2026

My author copies are here, and I've decided to make them unique by signing and embossing them with a custom stamp. I thought it would be nice for folks to receive something special, especially in a world filled with synthetic products made by AI. Cool poster by @reforest-kelley.bsky.social

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Reposted by Stephen Aguilar

Bloomsbury Academic Education @bloomsburyaced.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

AI didn't break your course. It stress-tested it. In today's blog post, @stephenaguilar.com explores how generative AI is challenging traditional assessment in higher education and offers a practical framework for teaching staff who are wondering where to begin. Read on: bit.ly/3TYFm83

Banner showing a professional trying to hold up a large stack of books as they topple on to him. Text reads 'AI didn't break your course. It stress-tested it - Stephen J. Aguilar on Authenticating Intelligence'.

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Reposted by Stephen Aguilar

Bloomsbury Academic @bloomsburyacademic.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Are we asking the right questions when it comes to AI in higher ed? @stephenaguilar.com’s “Authenticating Intelligence” explores how gen-AI challenges traditional assessment and forces educators to rethink meaningful learning. Read the blog: bit.ly/4hlYW88 🍎 #AcademicSky #BookSky

bloomsbury.com

Just a moment...

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 07/07/2026

The same AI tool can produce brilliant work or useless slop. The difference is rarely the tool. Heck, even us experts get fooled by a confident wrong answer, especially if it's at the edges of what we know. Hopefully soon we'll learn that AI doesn't lower the bar for expertise. It raises it.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 02/07/2026

LAUSD just named its third superintendent in four years, but that's not even the headline. The last one resigned amid an FBI probe into a $6.2 million AI chatbot deal. The company folded. Half a million students got left holding the bag.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 01/07/2026

My book Authenticating Intelligence comes out in under two months. My editing hack: read every page out loud. Awkward sentences sound ten times worse spoken. Brutal, but it was worth it. Did it catch every typo? Nope. Probably added a few. Perfection's overrated.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 30/06/2026

A German court just held Google responsible for false info from AI Overviews. Good. Treat AI like food or cars. Set tolerances. Measure real outputs. Publish the error rates companies bury in fine print. www.wired.com/story/a-cour...

wired.com

A Court Has Ruled That Google Is Liable for False Statements Generated by AI Overviews

The ruling holds that a company that designs, trains, operates, and manages an AI system must assume legal liability for any damages caused by the responses it generates.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 30/06/2026

EdTech keeps selling promises. Administrators keep buying without asking hard questions. What do you need to know before investing in AI for your school? I laid it out. www.the74million.org/article/what...

the74million.org

What School and District Leaders Need to Know Before They Invest in AI

Aguilar: Some key questions to ask before signing on the dotted line and committing limited resources to artificial intelligence-powered ed tech tools.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 29/06/2026

NSF is cutting basic science 20-30% to fund a $1.5B AI initiative. That's cannibalism. Google, CRISPR, barcodes—none funded with a commercial application in mind. Basic science is the foundation of the AI revolution. Gut it now. The breakthroughs stop too. www.nsf.gov/impacts/google

nsf.gov

On the Origins of Google

Learn how NSF support contributed to the foundations of Google.

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Reposted by Stephen Aguilar

Jeff Greene @jeffgreene.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Great to hear @mattbernacki.bsky.social talking to @stephenaguilar.com about the power of learning analytics for understanding and supporting student success, as well as how #GenAI can support such work. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

podcasts.apple.com

Beyond the Clicks: Decoding Student Data

Podcast Episode · Authenticating Intelligence Podcast with Stephen Aguilar · June 2 · 40m

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 15/05/2026

Authenticating Intelligence still isn’t out, but it’s good to see it indexed!

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 04/05/2026

Authenticating Intelligence has 100 plays on Spotify! It may not be a lot, but we all have to start somewhere. Plus, I have similar numbers on YouTube and Apple Podcasts. Give it a listen. Spotify: bit.ly/AuthIntelSp Apple: apple.co/4a4lVjG YouTube: bit.ly/AuthIntelYT

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 29/04/2026

Stay tuned for a report from @uscrossier.bsky.social and my center that will help folks navigate these things better.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 15/04/2026

Oh good. More AI stuff founded on gut feelings because there isn't enough AI stuff already.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 15/04/2026

I mean self-indulgent love powered by sycophantic AI is still a type of love, I suppose. We just used to think that it was a bad thing.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 13/04/2026

Join my this Sunday! Creativity and Curiosity in the Age of AI: From the Arts to Education Sunday, 1:30 p.m., Wallis Annen-berg Hall, presented by USC

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 13/04/2026

"There are some baseline tasks that can be offloaded, but we can’t just, you know, undercut all of the entry-level positions, because then there won’t be people who develop the experience to really understand what happens when AI fails.” thehill.com/homenews/edu...

thehill.com

As AI pushes students to reconsider majors, universities struggle to adapt

A recent poll shows AI’s increasing role in how students decide on college majors, creating a rapidly developing situation for universities that are still struggling to determine how the technology…

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 13/04/2026

From Authenticating Intelligence:

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 10/04/2026

It’s not impossible to build a distributed community. I’m in many outside of my profession. The trouble is that in person communities are superior when it comes to learning, and it’s proven tough to re-establish them post-pandemic.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 10/04/2026

Join me Sun, 4/19-1:30pm - 2:30pm at the @latimes.com Festival of Books! Session Title: Creativity and Curiosity in the Age of AI: From the Arts to Education Grab tickets online at latimes.com/fob starting Sunday, April 12, or at ticket booth #390 on the day of, while supplies last.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 09/04/2026

Given the current climate, Sal can be wrong infinity times—it won't matter. That said, calling out EdTech over hype that is never realized is like shooting fish in a barrel. It's their job to sell things, not make a difference. I just wish more folks knew that.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 09/04/2026

Listen us academics reach DOZENS of people with our work.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 08/04/2026

I have similar thoughts on Ed Research. It's easy enough to find disparities/inequities and show that they are statistically significant and/or people talk about them coherently (e.g., Qual work). But such findings are meaningless unless they're paired theories of action or contribute to theory.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 07/04/2026

This week on the Authenticating Intelligence Podcast I sit down with Dan O’Brien (former Blue Sky Studios animator) to talk about the "homogenization" of animation and the quiet threat to entry-level craft. youtu.be/dIY99L0zPvM

youtu.be

Can AI Replace the Artist’s Eye?

YouTube video by Authenticating Intelligence with Stephen Aguilar

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 01/04/2026

Creativity isn't simply taking that initial spark and making it "real." It's refining; rendering the clumsy into expression. It takes time. Sure, you can try to prompt your way there, but that process is crude—especially if you don't really know what you're doing.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 29/03/2026

Nothing humans make is neutral. That includes EdTech. Tools are extensions of our cognition, and make plain what we value when we use them to engage with the world around us. I dig into this concept a fair bit in Authenticating Intelligence.

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Reposted by Stephen Aguilar

ElleO 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇨🇦🇲🇽 @ellohhlo.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Thank you University of Oxford! 🐝🌎

Science News

from research organizations

Scientists uncovered the nutrients bees were missing - Colonies surged 15-fold

A lab-made diet supercharged bee colonies and could help save our food supply.

Date:

March 27, 2026

Source:

University of Oxford

Summary:

Scientists have developed a breakthrough "superfood" for honeybees by engineering yeast to produce the essential nutrients normally found in pollen. In controlled tri-als, colonies fed this specially designed diet produced up to 15 times more young, showing a dramatic boost in reproduction and overall health. As climate change and modern agriculture reduce the availability of natural pollen, this innovation could offer a practical way to support struggling bee populations.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 24/03/2026

I felt the same. Also Project Hail Mary is one of the best movies I've seen in a while. It's ALSO very true to the book (won't spoil it). If you liked the book you'll really enjoy this movie. Breath of fresh air.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 20/03/2026

LinkedIn thoughts about AI are weird. Heading: "Imagine if we used computers the way many organizations use AI today." I guess I need *checks desk* two more screens to fully integrate computers into my workflow. I'm so close!

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 19/03/2026

Sometimes it's good to unplug and paint.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 18/03/2026

Read this thread. I'm the son of immigrants. I was a teacher in a majority English Language Learner district where I was the English Language Development Coordinator. Providing free access to education ALWAYS makes everything better. To argue otherwise is to be an idiot fueled by ignorance.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 18/03/2026

Here's the final book jacket for Authenticating Intelligence. Super happy with how it came out, and thrilled to have some wonderful endorsements from folks I respect.

"Authenticating Intelligence offers a historically and philosophically-grounded examination of what generative Al means for education-cutting through both hype and panic to focus on what truly matters."
—VICTOR R. LEE,
Associate Professor, Stanford University, Graduate School of Education
"This book demonstrates how generative Al can amplify-rather than replace-the competencies that matter most: critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and authentic intellectual engagement."
-JEAN-CLAUDE BRIZARD, President and CEO, Digital Promise Global
"Grounded in philosophy and research yet highly accessible, the book centers on the practical goal of improving learning for all students amid profound shifts in how we interact with Al. It's a vital read for education leaders, technologists, parents, teachers, and students alike."
-DR. JUNE AHN, Senior Associate Dean,
University of California, Irvine, School of Education
"Authenticating Intelligence equips the reader with a toolkit for critically examining and discussing both future possibilities and current practices-a perspective that will continue to serve even as the technology inevitably
-DR. WILLIAM R. WATSON, Professor and Chair of the College of Education's Al and Data Science Working Group, Purdue University

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 17/03/2026

Stop the presses! More hours spent trying to learn with support from an educator leads to more learning. 🤯 The fact that there are folks who disagree—or ignore—this fact is shameful. I'm glad folks like Morgan exist to call them out on it.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 17/03/2026

Nothing says "take me seriously" like being barefoot in a fancy looking bar wearing your best shades of puke green.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 17/03/2026

AI is moving fast. The US school system? Not so much. I’m joined by @mpolikoff.bsky.social on the Authenticating Intelligence Podcast to discuss how AI is shaking up our locally controlled (and very fragmented) education system. youtu.be/274C1RpXOMY

youtu.be

Local Control, Total Chaos: Schools in the Age of AI

YouTube video by Authenticating Intelligence with Stephen Aguilar

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 15/03/2026

This sums up my feelings about the pice in Nature pretty well.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 14/03/2026

May I suggest: Release date = 8/6/26

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Morgan Polikoff @mpolikoff.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

A very good read for people who don't understand the federal role in research and its importance. // "'I came because America was the place to do science,' he said." www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/u...

nytimes.com

His Harvard Lab Was Thriving. Then Came the Cuts.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 13/03/2026

"The new wealth gap is who cares about intellectual integrity and who doesn't. Here are 17 prompts that..."

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 13/03/2026

From chapter 9 of Authenticating Intelligence:

Instead, I am interested in the commodification of expertise, and how such commodification is and will be enacted through GenAI. What does it mean when expert knowledge is, in a very real sense, divorced from the expert? What role do experts have, if any, when it comes to vetting synthetic information-and what are the safeguards in place to protect non-experts from making decisions based on flawed reasoning, flawed evidence, or GenAI hallucinations?

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 12/03/2026

Anthropic came out with a report. Sectors that keep shoving AI into every nook and cranny predict that AI will *checks notes* be incorporated into a bunch of stuff. I did my own back of the envelope calculations and came up with this. I'm entertaining offers from VCs. Bidding starts at 500 billion

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 12/03/2026

In my interview with EdSoruce I highlight a key argument from Authenticating Intelligence: Educators should understand "AI as a constellation of tools, a series of tools, and then they can decide what problems those tools are going to be used to address.” edsource.org/2026/califor...

edsource.org

California schools debate how much AI belongs in classrooms

Close vetting of artificial intelligence programs, strong data protections, ongoing feedback from school community remain critical in AI implementation.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 12/03/2026

One more chance to find typos. Spoiler: I will still miss a couple. I may even add a few, who knows.

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 11/03/2026

Good. This "feature" was dumb.

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Morgan Polikoff @mpolikoff.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

It's a first for the @uscedpolicyhub.bsky.social Substack - we are sharing brand new, original research results! @annarsaavedra.bsky.social, Amie Rapaport and I are looking into reasons for teen absenteeism using the Understanding America Study edpolicyhub.substack.com/p/the-driver...

edpolicyhub.substack.com

The Drivers of the Absenteeism Crisis: New Evidence from the Understanding America Study

Amie Rapaport, Morgan Polikoff, and Anna Saavedra

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Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 07/03/2026

Not a fan of citation management software, but I agree with the broader point here. It takes at most an extra 15-20min to use google scholar, etc., to manually check citations.

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