Greetings from Austin, TX. I'm here to do a keynote about AI at the . I love Austin! Great people, great food, great music – it's such an outstanding place to spend a couple of days.
In the news: A high school senior in Massachusetts is at the center of a legal dispute after being disciplined for using AI in a class assignment. His parents have filed a lawsuit against the history teacher, school district, and local school committee, arguing that the disciplinary actions taken against their son were unfair and not supported by the school's policies at the time of the incident.
The student used AI to create an outline for a history essay on basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. According to the lawsuit, this use of AI did not violate any school rules at the time. Despite this, he received a failing grade on the assignment, was given detention, and was excluded from the National Honor Society. The lawsuit claims these actions have negatively impacted the student's academic record, and his chances of being accepted to competitive colleges where he intended to apply (such as Stanford University). BTW, he got a perfect score on his ACTs, so with his otherwise straight A average, he might have had a shot.
The student's parents have argued that their son did not use AI to cheat but rather to assist in research, similar to how one might use a search engine. They are seeking to have his AP U.S. History grade changed, his honor society membership reinstated, and the "cheating" label removed from his record, as they believe these disciplinary actions pose a significant threat to his college prospects.
This case makes my blood boil! Can you imagine a teacher telling a student, "Don't learn to use Google; go to the library and do your research using the Dewey Decimal System." It's absurd. These are the tools of this student's generation. Not only should he learn to use AI, but the school should be teaching best practices. I could rant about this for hours, but I'll spare you. Don't let your school bully you into restricting student use of AI. We may not fully understand the future that is coming, but whatever it looks like, we will be partnering with AI to build it.
As always your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. Just reply to this email. -s
P.S. Are you a CMO or AI-focused c-suite exec? If so, please request an invitation to the MMA CMO AI Transformation Summit, which I'm going to host on November 6 in New York. It's going to be an action-packed half-day event featuring short talks, facilitated discussion, and breakouts featuring some of the brightest minds in marketing. Just reply to this email.
ABOUT SHELLY PALMER
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
