Auburn University refreshed its Teaching with AI course in October 2026, helping faculty integrate AI into higher education. First launched in spring 2023 after ChatGPT became public, the self-paced online course covers practical uses, ethics, and collaborating with students on AI decisions. Auburn faculty and staff can take it for free, while others must purchase licenses.
Fresno State is taking a different approach by embedding AI and machine learning directly into coursework. The Computer Science department now offers seven AI courses, an AI minor, and two AI certificates. Faculty are redesigning assignments so AI cannot easily complete them, while stressing that students still need strong critical thinking skills since AI cannot truly think.
On the cybersecurity front, government websites worldwide faced serious risks after a PHP update was found to contain malicious code. The code included an information stealer and remote access trojan targeting passwords and AI service credentials. LiteLLM, a popular open source proxy for routing AI requests, was also affected. These breaches followed other hacks including the TiDB Cloud database breach, highlighting growing security challenges.
Research is raising concerns about AI-altered media creating false memories. In a study of 200 participants, those who watched AI-generated videos based on edited photos had more than twice the false memory rate of the control group and were more confident in their wrong memories. As AI visuals become more realistic, distinguishing real experiences from altered ones may become increasingly difficult.
The AI industry also faces a mounting hardware waste problem. Investment in data centers and hardware has reached about $752 billion, and retired equipment contains valuable materials and data that must be handled carefully. Re-Teck strategist Linda Li says hardware can be reused, recycled for metals, or securely decommissioned following standards like NIST 800-88 and IEEE 2883.
In the restaurant industry, a Toast survey of over 700 workers found mixed feelings about AI adoption. About half are enthusiastic or open to using AI, particularly for end-of-shift summaries and shift scheduling. However, 10 percent of workers said they are not at all open to using AI. Poor pay remains the biggest issue, with 31 percent citing it as the main reason they would leave their job.
AI is making strides in solving math problems that stumped humans for decades, including a question posed by Paul Erdős in 1946 and the Navier Stokes fluid movement problem. OpenAI announced the Navier Stokes solution in September after about 88 hours of computing. Experts note AI excels at brute force data gathering but still struggles to show reasoning like human mathematicians. Beyond math, AI has helped biology by predicting the shapes of over 200 million proteins and mapping bone marrow cells.
Smart insoles equipped with sensors and an AI coach are now delivering real-time running guidance directly through a runner's ears. The technology aims to help runners avoid injury by providing step-by-step coaching, as reported by CBS News.
Independent filmmakers are seeking ways to protect their work from AI as its use grows in entertainment. Producer Clark Peterson, known for the 2003 film Monster, said protecting independent work has been a long-standing challenge in Hollywood, and AI brings a whole new set of challenges beyond traditional piracy.
KKR analysis says Americans have placed an unprecedented bet on AI, but the payoff will likely take decades. AI captured 81 percent of a record $300 billion in global venture funding in the first quarter of 2026. The analysis compares this to past speculative booms like railroad stocks in the Gilded Age, arguing that deep adoption across the broader economy is needed before productivity gains justify today's AI valuations. Separately, a Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership report found that AI's biggest financial impact comes from changing how work, markets, and economies function, not just from cutting jobs. Companies like Ford, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and IBM have had to rebuild human capacity after finding AI could not fully replace human expertise, and strong company governance is key to creating lasting financial value.
Key Takeaways
- Auburn University refreshed its Teaching with AI course in October 2026, offering free access to faculty and staff to help navigate AI in higher education.
- Fresno State's Computer Science department offers seven AI courses, an AI minor, and two AI certificates while redesigning assignments to prevent easy AI completion.
- Government websites faced cybersecurity risks from a malicious PHP update targeting AI service credentials, with LiteLLM also affected by the breach.
- A study of 200 participants found AI-altered photos and videos more than doubled the false memory rate compared to a control group.
- AI industry investment in data centers and hardware has reached about $752 billion, creating a significant hardware waste and recycling challenge.
- A Toast survey of over 700 restaurant workers found about half are open to AI adoption, but 10 percent are not at all open to it.
- OpenAI announced the Navier Stokes solution in September after about 88 hours of computing, while AI has also predicted shapes of over 200 million proteins.
- AI captured 81 percent of a record $300 billion in global venture funding in the first quarter of 2026, according to KKR analysis.
- Independent filmmakers face new challenges protecting creative work from AI beyond traditional piracy concerns, as noted by producer Clark Peterson.
- A Cambridge Institute report found companies like Ford, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and IBM had to rebuild human capacity after AI could not fully replace human expertise.
Auburn refreshes Teaching with AI course for faculty
Auburn University updated its Teaching with AI course in October 2026 to help faculty navigate AI in higher education. The self-paced online course was first launched in spring 2023 after ChatGPT became public. It covers practical uses, ethics, and partnering with students on AI decisions. Auburn faculty and staff can take it for free, while others can purchase licenses.
Fresno State teaches AI skills and warns about limits
Fresno State faculty are adding AI and machine learning into their courses while cautioning students about AI limitations. The Computer Science department offers seven AI courses, an AI minor, and two AI certificates. Faculty stress that AI cannot think and students need strong critical thinking skills. Professors are redesigning assignments so AI cannot easily complete them for students.
Internet faces major cybersecurity threats in one day
Government websites worldwide faced serious cybersecurity risks after a PHP update was found to contain malicious code. The code included an information stealer and remote access trojan targeting passwords and AI service credentials. LiteLLM, a popular open source proxy for routing AI requests, was also affected. These breaches followed other hacks including the TiDB Cloud cloud database breach, showing growing cybersecurity challenges.
AI-altered photos may create false memories
New research suggests AI-edited photos and videos can cause people to remember things that never happened. In a study of 200 participants, those who watched AI-generated videos based on edited photos had more than twice the false memory rate of the control group. They were also more confident in their wrong memories. Researchers warn that as AI visuals become more realistic, people may struggle to distinguish real experiences from altered ones.
AI hardware waste poses big infrastructure challenge
The AI industry faces a growing problem of what to do with retired hardware as it builds data centers at massive scale. Investment in data centers and hardware has reached about $752 billion. Re-Teck strategist Linda Li says retired equipment contains valuable materials and data that must be handled carefully. Hardware can be reused, recycled for metals, or securely decommissioned following standards like NIST 800-88 and IEEE 2883.
Restaurant workers show mixed feelings about AI adoption
A Toast survey of over 700 restaurant workers found that about half are enthusiastic or open to using AI at work. Workers are most interested in AI for end-of-shift summaries and shift scheduling. However, 10 percent of workers said they are not at all open to using AI. The biggest issue for workers remains poor pay, which 31 percent cited as the main reason they would leave their job.
AI solves math problems that stumped humans for decades
AI has made major breakthroughs in solving difficult math problems, including a question posed by mathematician Paul Erdős in 1946 and the Navier Stokes fluid movement problem. OpenAI announced the Navier Stokes solution in September after about 88 hours of computing. Experts say AI excels at brute force data gathering but still struggles to show its reasoning like human mathematicians. Beyond math, AI has also helped biology by predicting the shapes of over 200 million proteins and mapping bone marrow cells.
Smart insoles use AI to coach runners step by step
A new company has developed smart insoles equipped with sensors and an AI coach. The system delivers real-time guidance directly through a runner's ears. The goal is to help runners avoid injury by providing coaching for every step they take. CBS News reported on this new technology.
Independent filmmakers seek ways to protect work from AI
As AI use grows in the entertainment industry, independent filmmakers are looking for ways to protect their work. Producer Clark Peterson, known for the 2003 film Monster, said protecting independent work has been a long-standing challenge in Hollywood. He noted that AI brings a whole new set of challenges beyond traditional piracy and copying of creative works.
US market heavily invested in AI with long payoff ahead
A KKR analysis says Americans have placed an unprecedented bet on AI, but the payoff will likely take decades. AI captured 81 percent of a record 300 billion dollars in global venture funding in the first quarter of 2026. The analysis compares this to past speculative booms like railroad stocks in the Gilded Age. The author argues that deep adoption across the broader economy is needed before the productivity gains justify today's AI valuations.
AI Financial Impact on Investors Goes Beyond Job Loss
A report from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership examines how AI affects investors financially. The study found that AI's biggest financial impact comes from changing how work, markets, and economies function, not just from cutting jobs. Companies like Ford, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and IBM have had to rebuild human capacity after finding AI could not fully replace human expertise. The report highlights that strong company governance is key to making AI adoption create lasting financial value.
Sources
- Auburn updates Teaching with AI course for a changing AI landscape
- Fresno State faculty integrates AI into curriculum while addressing its limitations
- The internet is having a very bad cybersecurity day
- AI-altered photos may create false memories, research suggests
- Where will it all go? Examining AI’s infrastructure challenge
- How restaurant employees feel about AI
- AI is solving math problems that stumped humans. What comes next?
- Smart insoles give runners an AI coach for every step
- Independent filmmakers finding ways to protect work from AI
- The U.S. market has never been more focused on one single bet—but AI’s payoff will likely take decades
- The Financial Materiality Of AI For The Investment Community
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