Biola University Will Receive a Gift of $40 Million to Advance Christian Tech Education

Biola University, a 117-year-old Christian institution, received a transformational gift of $40 million from a Silicon Valley executive passionate about technology and Christian education who made the donation anonymously. The gift will go toward student scholarships, endowed professorships, and the construction of two engineering facilities. It will also enable the institution to develop forward-thinking programs that educate and equip students in emerging technologies, preparing them to lead with moral conviction and Christian character. Dr. Barry H. Corey, President of Biola University, said, "The gift will significantly enhance opportunities for students pursuing degrees in computer science, engineering, robotics, mathematics, and physics in a landscape shaped by the confluence of AI, cybersecurity, and the use of cloud." In the new hands-on learning space, students will design, test, and build projects such as racing vehicles, robotic systems, aerial drones, and machine learning systems, preparing them for careers in high-demand sectors. "The vision of Biola’s School of Science, Technology and Health is to be identified among the world’s foremost Christ-centered STEM and health schools — a community abiding in truth, abounding with grace and compelled by Christ’s love to be a relevant and redemptive voice in the rapidly changing worlds of science, technology and health," said Dr. Matthew Rouse, dean of the School of Science, Technology and Health.

Anthropic's Claude Can Now Create PDFs, Excel Spreadsheets, and PowerPoint Slides

Google Tests an AI tool that Turns PDFs Into Interactive Textbooks

OpenAI Released Apps that Work Inside ChatGPT and an SDK [Video]

OpenAI Issues Its Video Generation Model 'Sora 2' As An iOS App

OpenAI released its latest video and audio generation model, Sora 2, this week, aiming to establish a competitive position against more advanced offerings, such as Google’s Veo 3, Runway, and KlingAI. This new AI video generator is available in the U.S. and Canada as a free iOS app, simply called “Sora”. ChatGPT Pro users will also be able to use the experimental, higher-quality Sora 2 Pro model on sora.com⁠ (and soon in the Sora app as well). The new model also allows the injection of elements from the real world, such as cameos, enabling people to insert themselves into any AI-generated video scene. The feature of “cameos” can generate significant social traction. “Overwhelming feedback from testers is that cameos are what make this feel different and fun to use, as it is a new and unique way to communicate with people.” OpenAI is rolling this out as an invite-based app “to make sure you come in with your friends.” Only users can decide who can use their own cameos, and they can revoke access or remove any video that includes it at any time. Videos containing cameos, including drafts created by other people, are viewable by the users at any time. OpenAI has announced that it is implementing default limits on the number of generations teens can view per day in the feed, and it’s also rolling out stricter permissions on Cameos for this group. In addition, it’s scaling up teams of human moderators to quickly review potential cases of bullying. Sora 2 creates background soundscapes, speech, and realistic sound effects. along with realistic and cinematic scenes. Though it still makes plenty of mistakes, Sora 2 is better about obeying the laws of physics compared to prior systems. “It excels at realistic, cinematic, and anime styles,” said the company. The San Francisco-based research lab compared Sora 2 to GPT-3.5, while its original, overoptimistic model of Sora would be GPT-1. OpenAI plans to release Sora 2 as an API, while Sora 1 Turbo will remain available, and all content created will continue to reside in the existing sora.com library.

Google's NotebookLM Introduced Flashcards and Quizzes As Study Guide

NotebookLM introduced two new interactive, personalized AI features for active learning engagement and study guide: flashcards and quizzes. These features are grounded in users’ source documents such as lecture notes, research papers, or work reports. The tools can generate detailed overviews and are primarily used for preparing exams, starting new projects, or exploring new interests. Defined as an AI partner for research and thinking, NotebookLM aims to help users understand complex material more efficiently. It seeks to enable users to turn information into high-quality, knowledgeable, and tailored briefing documents, reports, study guides, glossaries, and explainers. • The redesigned reports now include a new Blog Post format. • A new “Learning Guide” helps break down problems step-by-step and adapts explanations, building a deeper understanding of the subject. "Learning Guide is like having a personal tutor for users who source directly within NotebookLM," said Google. • New ready-to-use interactive Notebooks curated with free textbooks on these subjects: Biology, AP® Biology, Introduction to Business, Chemistry, Psychology, and Principles of Management. • Audio Overviews help learners understand material on the go. For example, the Debate format allows for exploring two sides of a topic before a class discussion. The new formats include: -Brief: A single AI host delivers a short summary of your sources' core ideas. -Critique: Two AI hosts review your material, offering constructive feedback on an essay or design document. -Debate: Two AI hosts discuss different perspectives on the topics in your sources. Educators can create Notebooks from their class materials and assign them directly in Canvas LMS and PowerSchool Schoology Learning using Gemini LTI. In the coming weeks, educators will also be able to create and assign notebooks in Google Classroom.

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The UN Will Establish a Global Forum for Discussing AI Governance

As part of its General Assembly last week, the United Nations (UN) announced a plan to establish a global forum for discussing AI governance, aiming to gather ideas and best practices. The UN plans to form a 40-member panel of scientific experts to synthesize and analyze the research on AI risks and opportunities. The UN follows the pattern of previous similar efforts on climate change and nuclear policy. To launch the initiative, dozens of U.N. member nations, along with tech companies, academics, and nonprofits, spent last week summarizing their hopes and concerns about AI. This program is an effort to ensure that control of the AI is not left in the hands of a few tech companies and countries, as the United States and China. The UN highlighted its hope that AI can cure diseases, expand food production, and accelerate learning. It also identified risks, including mass surveillance, the spread of misinformation, the depletion of energy resources, and widening income gaps among individuals and nations.

Texas Tech Universities Ban Teaching About Transgender and Other Gender Topics

The five universities of the Texas Tech system directed their faculty to comply with an executive order from President Trump, which recognizes only male and female genders. The move, the first among large institutions of higher education, bans teaching about transgender and other gender topics. Currently, in K-12 classrooms, this is explicitly prohibited by Texas law. Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell addressed the requirement in a letter dated last Thursday, citing President Trump’s order from January, a letter from Governor Greg Abbott that directed state agencies to follow Mr. Trump’s order, and a state law that requires government agencies to collect data on only two biological sexes, male and female. “While recognizing the First Amendment rights of employees in their personal capacity, faculty must comply with these laws in the instruction of students, within the course and scope of their employment,” Mitchell wrote. The letter followed the firing this month of a professor at Texas A&M who objected to a discussion of gender identity and then shared a video of the encounter with a Republican lawmaker. The university’s president, Mark Welsh, resigned soon after. Other public universities and community colleges have been exploring similar changes regarding the teaching of gender, according to the Texas conference of the American Association of University Professors. The New York Times reported on it. However, outside of Texas Tech, no institution appears to have put its guidance into writing yet. Earlier this year, the Mississippi Legislature passed a law banning diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as “promoting transgender ideology,” in the state’s schools and universities, but a federal judge put it on hold.

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Today's Summary

Sunday, November 23, 2025

Education technology today is marked by rising AI adoption among educators and innovative personalized learning approaches.

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Today in AI & EdTech

Sunday, November 23, 2025

AI is transforming the education technology landscape as more teachers adopt intelligent tools, driving forward and adaptive learning experiences.

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