EdTech news on March 16, 2026

1. 0119:05 UTC

   Columnist says AI writes his emails and raises concerns about learning

   3 outlets · first: Sacbee Ai in education

   Machine summary In a column, Steve Lopez wrote that an artificial intelligence feature he does not recall signing up for writes emails for him and offers suggested replies on his phone. Lopez wrote that he is concerned about the effect on human intelligence as AI does more writing, researching, communicating and thinking, and asked what the impact is on vocabulary, grammar, reading, critical thinking, originality and intellectual curiosity.

   1. Steve Lopez wrote that an AI feature he does not recall signing up for writes emails for him and is also in his phone, offering three suggested responses.
   2. Lopez wrote that reading the three fabricated email options takes him longer than writing his own response.
   3. Lopez wrote that he asked AI for reasons he finds the feature irritating and it produced at least 150 in approximately three seconds.
   4. Lopez wrote that he is concerned about what happens to human intelligence as AI does more of our writing, researching, communicating and thinking.
   5. Mike Finn is described as an L.A. Unified instructor who retired recently; he said that teachers can determine if a student's work is original or not and attempt to steer students clear of plagiarism and shortcuts.

   Reported by Sacbee, miamiherald.com and kansascity.com.

   • Artificial Intelligence
   • L.A. Unified

2. 0202:00 UTC

   51Talk marks 15 years with brand refresh and new character Toki

   2 outlets · first: manilatimes.net Industry

   Machine summary 51Talk said it is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a global brand refresh and the debut of a new character named Toki, according to reports.

   1. 51Talk is celebrating 15 years, according to reports.
   2. The company announced a global brand refresh, the reports said.
   3. The reports said 51Talk debuted a new character named Toki.

   Reported by manilatimes.net and finanznachrichten.de.

   • 51Talk
   • Toki

3. 0315:00 UTC

   Coverage recordlbpost.com: “Lawmakers tried to kill California online community college. Now it growing rapidly • Long Beach Post News”

   2 outlets · first: paloaltoonline.com Higher ed tech

   Reports ran between 15:00 and 16:30 UTC on Mar 16.

   The outlets that reported this event are listed with links to their reports; no summary of ours passed our automated checks for it, which says nothing about the event (how they work).

   Reported by paloaltoonline.com and lbpost.com.

4. 0419:09 UTC

   Almost 80% of Australian university students use AI, new report says

   2 outlets · first: The Conversation Ai in education

   Machine summary Almost 80% of Australian university students use AI, according to a new report, which states that the technology is creating an "illusion of competence" through cognitive offloading.

   1. Nearly 80% of Australian university students reported using AI in their studies as of 2025.
   2. A UK survey found that 94% of undergraduates use AI to assist with assessed work.
   3. Almost 80% of Australian university students now use AI, according to reports citing an "illusion of competence.

   Reported by The Conversation and Indailysa.com.

5. 0509:30 UTC

   Canadian college leaders begin India visit on skills training

   1 outlet · first: calcuttanews.net (Big News Network) Higher ed tech

   Machine summary According to torontotelegraph.com, college leaders from Canada have begun a visit to India to deepen a skills training partnership.

   1. Canadian college leaders began a visit to India, according to torontotelegraph.com.
   2. The visit is to deepen a skills training partnership, according to calcuttanews.net.

   Reported by calcuttanews.net (Big News Network) and torontotelegraph.com (Big News Network).

Each summary and its key facts are a machine summary of the reports linked under it; the outlets, times and counts come from those reports' own records. How a rundown is built.