Category: Top News

  • OpenAI Launched “Realtime API” For Multi-Modal Conversational Experiences

    OpenAI Launched “Realtime API” For Multi-Modal Conversational Experiences

    IBL News | New York

    OpenAI announced several tools this week, including a public beta of its “Realtime API” for building nearly real-time multi-modal conversational and AI-generated voice response apps.

    It currently supports text and audio as input and output, as well as function calling.

    These low-latency responses use only six voices, not third-party voices, to prevent copyright issues.

    This move follows OpenAI’s effort to convince developers to build tools with its AI models at its 2024 DevDay.

    The San Francisco-based research lab said that the company has over 3 million developers building with its AI models.

    OpenAI Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil said the recent departures of CTO Mira Murati and Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew slow innovation.

    As part of its DevDay announcements, OpenAI will help developers improve the performance of GPT-4o for tasks involving visual understanding.

    Also, OpenAI said it won’t release any new AI models during DevDay this year. TechCrunch reported that the video generation model Sora will have to wait a little longer.

  • Linda McMahon Will Send Education Back to the States and Defend Universal School Choice

    Linda McMahon Will Send Education Back to the States and Defend Universal School Choice

    IBL News | New York

    Linda McMahon, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for education secretary, will work on “sending Education back to the states” while reducing or eliminating the federal Department of Education. This was one of Trump’s key education campaign pledges.

    With a slimmer educational résumé than typical of candidates for the Secretary of Education position, she served 16 years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, where a student center is named for her.

    She also spent just over a year on the Connecticut State Board of Education, where she was one of fifteen members overseeing all public education in the state, including its technical high school system. Later, in 2010, she would resign to run as a Republican for a Senate seat.

    Linda McMahon, a leader of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, is known for her many years in wrestling as the former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

    According to President Trump’s statement, her approach to education is based on advocating for parents’ and families’ rights and universal school choice. This means that money typically flowing to public schools will instead go to families so they can spend it on private education.

    “As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families,” Mr. Trump said.

    On Tuesday, Ms. McMahon posted a message on social media praising “apprenticeship programs” and highlighting their examples in Switzerland, which is often cited as a high-performing country whose model the United States should follow.

    She also has backed a House bill to make federal Pell Grants available for those pursuing skills training programs and technical education, not just traditional college degrees.

    The for-profit college sector applauded Ms. McMahon’s selection.

    “Under her leadership, we are confident that the new Department of Education will take a more reasoned and thoughtful approach in addressing many of the overreaching and punitive regulations put forth by the Biden administration, especially those targeting career schools,” Jason Altmire, president of Career Education Colleges and Universities, a trade group that represents the for-profit sector, said in a statement.

    • NYT: How Linda McMahon Might Approach the Dept. of Education — Comments of the audience

  • Trump Names Former Head of Small Business Administration Linda McMahon as His Pick for Education Secretary

    Trump Names Former Head of Small Business Administration Linda McMahon as His Pick for Education Secretary

    IBL News | New York

    On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump named Linda McMahon the new Secretary of Education.

    “As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families,” Trump said in a statement that described McMahon as a “fierce advocate for Parents’ Rights.”

    McMahon reposted Trump’s announcement. Earlier in the day, she joined Trump and Elon Musk, who was named a co-chair of a new “Department of Government Efficiency,” at the SpaceX Starship launch in Texas.

    McMahon, 76, is a co-chair of Trump’s presidential transition team. She is a former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) executive who served in the first Trump administration. She ran the Small Business Administration for much of his first term and is married to former WWE CEO Vince McMahon.

    If the Senate confirms her, McMahon will oversee a department that Trump said he planned to “get rid” of as it currently exists and allow each state to “handle education” individually.

    McMahon was head of the Small Business Administration during his first presidency before she stepped down from the Cabinet-level post in 2019 to lead the pro-Trump America First Action super PAC.

    Before she joined the first Trump administration, McMahon served on the Connecticut State Board of Education in 2009, before she resigned to make unsuccessful bids in 2010 and 2012 for U.S. Senate seats in the state.

    McMahon was one of Trump’s top donors during the 2024 campaign, contributing more than $20 million to the Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC and $937,800 to his campaign and affiliated joint fundraising committees.

  • New Research Suggest How AI Should Be Integrated on Learning Environments, Research, Administrative, and Campus Operations

    New Research Suggest How AI Should Be Integrated on Learning Environments, Research, Administrative, and Campus Operations

    IBL News | New York

    AI’s integration into learning environments, research, administrative functions, and campus operations reshapes how institutions operate, faculty teach, students learn, and staff perform their roles.

    It’s not about blindly accepting AI in higher education or banning its use.

    It is crucial to thoughtfully examine AI’s impact on higher education, specifically on student success, financial sustainability, accountability, and equity.

    This is the main conclusion of researcher Joe Sabado, who shared research titled “AI in Higher Education—Frameworks for Critical Inquiry and Innovation.”

    This document, created using AI, guides institutions through AI’s transformative process, helping them leverage this technology. It provides ten frameworks, offering valuable insights for all stakeholders: educators, administrators, policymakers, students, staff, and journalists.

    AI in Higher Education – Frameworks for Inquiry and Innovation (PDF)

  • Canvas LMS’ Parent Company Sold to Investors for $4.8B and Remove from the NYSE

    Canvas LMS’ Parent Company Sold to Investors for $4.8B and Remove from the NYSE

    IBL News | New York

    Instructure Holdings, Inc., which manages the Canvas LMS, the leading learning platform, announced last week that it completed its sale to two investment firms, KKR and Dragoneer, for $4.8 billion (or $23.60 per share).

    As part of the transaction, Instructure’s common stock was removed from trading on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange).

    “Having KKR’s support will help us double down on core markets, scale our global reach at a faster pace and unlock new opportunities as we continue to innovate and enhance Canvas and the Instructure Learning Ecosystem,” said Steve Daly, CEO of Instructure.

    According to its data, the company expects to deliver $1B in revenue by 2028 with a platform that hosts 200 million learners from 100 countries and is supported by 1,000 partners. Currently, its annual revenue is below $500 million.

    Instructure has been publicly traded since 2021 after Thoma Bravo, its existing majority owner, briefly took it private for a year in 2020.

  • What AI Agents Are Needed Beyond Tutoring and Content Creation in Universities?

    What AI Agents Are Needed Beyond Tutoring and Content Creation in Universities?

    IBL News | New York

    What AI agents are needed beyond tutoring and content creation in universities?

    Critical areas relate to student recruitment, admission, enrollment, management, and support. Curriculum design, delivery, and research are also crucial. Strategy, business management, and marketing are other areas that require agents.

    Student Recruitment:
    – Domestic Student Recruitment
    – International Student Recruitment

    Student Admission:
    – Study Application Management
    – Learning Recognition Management

    Student Enrolment:
    – Matriculation
    – Enrollment
    – Student Allocation
    – Timetable Management

    Student Management:
    – Scholarship Management
    – Student Liability Management
    – Student Academic Progress Management
    – Cross-Institutional Study
    – Placement Management
    – Examination Management
    – Special Consideration Management
    – Research Candidature Management
    – Student Misconduct Management

    Student Support:
    – Careers Advice
    – Academic Advice
    – Core Skills Development
    – Financial Advice
    – Student Grievance Management

    Student Assessment:
    – Learning Assessment
    – Student Research Assessment


    Curriculum
    Management:
    – Curriculum Planning
    – Curriculum Design
    – Curriculum Production
    – Curriculum Accreditation
    – Offering Management
    – Curriculum Improvement
    – Curriculum Disestablishment

    Curriculum Delivery:
    – Learning & Teaching Resource Preparation
    – Learning & Teaching Resource Management
    – Learning & Teaching Delivery
    – Student Supervision

    Completion Management:
    – Completion Award


    Research
    Opportunities & Planning:

    – Research Opportunity Management
    – Collaborative Opportunity Management
    – Research Project Design

    Research Funding:
    – Research Fund Sourcing
    – Research Grant Management

    Research Assurance:
    – Research Ethics Management
    – Research Integrity Management
    – Research Performance Management
    – Research Quality Management

    Research Management:
    – Research Funds Management
    – Research Program Management

    Research Delivery:
    – Research Data Management
    – Research-Creation
    – Research Infrastructure Management
    – Research Resource Management

    Research Dissemination:
    – Research Output Management
    – Research Outcome Management
    – Research Impact Management
    – Research Commercialization Management


    Business
    Capability Management:

    – Business Planning
    – Enterprise Architecture
    – Customer Experience Management
    – Business Process Management
    – Service Management
    – Change Management
    – Portfolio & Program Management
    – Project Management
    – Product Management
    – Benefits Management

    Strategy Management:
    – Vision & Strategy Development
    – Strategic Plan Management

    Advancement Management:
    – Alumni Management
    – Development & Fundraising
    – Donor, Sponsor & Philanthropist Management

    Marketing Management:
    – Advertising
    – Campaign
    – Market Research
    – Marketing Planning
    – Communication

    Library Administration:
    – Library Collection Management
    – Collection Access Management


    Government
    , Risk & Compliance:

    – Policy Management
    – Quality Management
    – Risk Management
    – Compliance Management
    – Business Continuity Management
    – Incident Management
    – Investigation Management
    – Internal Audit
    – Complaint & Compliment Management

    Joe Sabado, from UC Santa Barbara, created a compelling diagram about AI agents:

    Curriculum Management:
    – Curriculum Planning
    – Curriculum Design
    – Curriculum Production
    – Curriculum Accreditation
    – Offering Management
    – Curriculum Improvement
    – Curriculum Disestablishment

    Student Recruitment:
    – Domestic Student Recruitment
    – International Student Recruitment

    Student Admission:
    – Study Application Management
    – Learning Recognition Management

    Student Enrolment:
    – Matriculation
    – Enrollment
    – Student Allocation
    – Timetable Management

    Student Management:
    – Scholarship Management
    – Student Liability Management
    – Student Academic Progress Management
    – Cross-Institutional Study
    – Placement Management
    – Examination Management
    – Special Consideration Management
    – Research Candidature Management
    – Student Misconduct Management

    Student Support:
    – Careers Advice
    – Academic Advice
    – Core Skills Development
    – Financial Advice
    – Student Grievance Management

    Curriculum Delivery:
    – Learning & Teaching Resource Preparation
    – Learning & Teaching Resource Management
    – Learning & Teaching Delivery
    – Student Supervision

    Student Assessment:
    – Learning Assessment
    – Student Research Assessment

    Completion Management:
    – Completion Award

    Research Opportunities & Planning:
    – Research Opportunity Management
    – Collaborative Opportunity Management
    – Research Project Design

    Research Funding:
    – Research Fund Sourcing
    – Research Grant Management

    Research Assurance:
    – Research Ethics Management
    – Research Integrity Management
    – Research Performance Management
    – Research Quality Management

    Research Management:
    – Research Funds Management
    – Research Program Management

    Research Delivery:
    – Research Data Management
    – Research Creation
    – Research Infrastructure Management
    – Research Resource Management

    Research Dissemination:
    – Research Output Management
    – Research Outcome Management
    – Research Impact Management
    – Research Commercialization Management

    Strategy Management:
    – Vision & Strategy Development
    – Strategic Plan Management

    Business Capability Management:
    – Business Planning
    – Enterprise Architecture
    – Customer Experience Management
    – Business Process Management
    – Service Management
    – Change Management
    – Portfolio & Program Management
    – Project Management
    – Product Management
    – Benefits Management

    Library Administration:
    – Library Collection Management
    – Collection Access Management

    Government, Risk & Compliance:
    – Policy Management
    – Quality Management
    – Risk Management
    – Compliance Management
    – Business Continuity Management
    – Incident Management
    – Investigation Management
    – Internal Audit
    – Complaint & Compliment Management

    Advancement Management:
    – Alumni Management
    – Development & Fundraising
    – Donor, Sponsor & Philanthropist Management

    Marketing Management:
    – Advertising
    – Campaign
    – Market Research
    – Marketing Planning
    – Communication

  • Colleges and Universities Fear Presidente Trump’s New Policies May Have a Wide Impact

    Colleges and Universities Fear Presidente Trump’s New Policies May Have a Wide Impact

    IBL News | New York

    With Donald Trump’s victory for a second presidential term and a Congress potentially under unified G.O.P. control, colleges feel politically and culturally weaker and fear that new proposed policies can have a wider impact, The New York Times wrote. Who President-elected Trump chooses to lead the Education Department could play an important role.

    During his campaign, President-elected Trump said he thought that colleges needed to be reclaimed from “Marxist maniacs,” while his running mate, JD Vance, has described universities as “the enemy.” (Both men attended Ivy League institutions.)

    In the last years, republicans have portrayed colleges as bastions of leftism, promising to reshape higher education by rooting out progressive ideology.

    Additionally, universities have been under increasing pressure from lawmakers, and public confidence in colleges has fallen.

    Last year, two Ivy League presidents resigned following the way they handled pro-Palestinian activists on their campuses. Other top university leaders have resigned amid criticism over protest responses.

    The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 — an outline for President Trump’s second term that he has tried to distance himself from — calls for sweeping changes, like privatizing all student loans, rolling back protections for transgender students, and paring back diversity efforts on campus.

    “The administration could wield control over the arcane but crucial accreditation process, which Mr. Trump has described as his “secret weapon” to force ideological changes. The president-elect has spoken of expanding the taxation of university endowments. And the new administration could scrap President Biden’s expansive student-debt forgiveness efforts and loosen regulation of for-profit colleges,” wrote The Times.

    During his campaign, Mr. Trump floated a powerful idea: a new university called The American Academy. It would be a tuition-free online university competing with existing colleges and dole out bachelor’s degrees that all government agencies and federal contractors would recognize.

    This new institution — which he said would be “strictly nonpolitical” with “no wokeness or jihadism” — would be paid for by expanding taxation of university endowments.

    Some colleges depend heavily on their endowments to pay for student financial aid.

    Another way of applying financial leverage would be to challenge the way colleges and universities are accredited and, therefore, become eligible to participate in federal student aid programs.

    The current system is overseen by nongovernmental organizations approved by the federal government. Mr. Trump has discussed opening the process and allowing states to accredit universities directly. He might also approve new accrediting agencies that are friendlier to for-profit colleges, similar to actions taken during his first term.

  • Microsoft Enhanced Its Notepad with AI-Powered Text Editing

    Microsoft Enhanced Its Notepad with AI-Powered Text Editing

    IBL News | New York

    Microsoft is adding AI-powered text editing to its Windows 11 Notepad.

    This feature, called Rewrite, allows users to rephrase sentences, adjust tone, and modify the length of the content based on preferences. It uses a model named GPT.

    To make it work, the user highlights the text he or she wants to improve.

    The user can rewrite a sentence to sound more formal or make a paragraph more concise. He can also customize the tone of your writing to match your needs, from casual to professional.

    After selecting your desired option, Notepad will generate three variations of the rewritten text.

  • OpenAI Officially Opened Its New York Office

    OpenAI Officially Opened Its New York Office

    IBL News | New York

    OpenAI officially opened its New York office this month. It’s located at the iconic Puck Building. “This new office reflects our mission to harness the potential of GenAI to empower people to solve complex problems right here in New York,” said the company that created ChatGPT

    At the same time, OpenAI announced a partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) through their startup accelerator program, the Founder Fellowship.

    As a marketing promotion, OpenAI will offer all 2025 $5,000 on API credits to help them innovate and grow. OpenAI is contributing $375,000.

    The Founder Fellowship has supported 250 entrepreneurs across 168 companies, with founders raising over $22 million in venture capital and grant funding.

  • Mistral Introduces a Moderation API to Detect Undesirable Text Content

    Mistral Introduces a Moderation API to Detect Undesirable Text Content

    IBL News | New York

    Paris-based AI startup Mistral launched a new API for content moderation last week. This addresses growing concerns about data privacy, latency, and compliance, which can prove especially attractive to European companies subject to strict data protection regulations.

    This API powers the moderation service in Mistral’s Le Chat. Powered by a fine-tuned model (Ministral 8B), it can be tailored to specific applications and safety standards.

    Mistral is releasing two end-points: one for raw text and one for conversational content.

    The API is the same API that powers moderation in Mistral’s Le Chat chatbot platform.

    It includes English, French, and German languages into one of nine categories: sexual, hate and discrimination, violence and threats, dangerous and criminal content, self-harm, health, financial, law, and personally identifiable information.

    Mistral says the moderation API can be applied to raw or conversational text.

    The moderation API is available through Mistral’s cloud platform, with pricing based on usage.

    The release follows Mistral’s recent announcement of high-profile partnerships, including deals with Microsoft AzureQualcomm, and SAP.