EdTech Connect Podcast: NYU's Erin Callihan — Real AI Strategy for Higher Ed
Host: Jeff Dillon
Guest: Erin Callihan, AVP of Strategic Marketing & Campaign Communications, NYU
Release Date: December 26, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode of EdTech Connect, Jeff Dillon sits down with NYU’s Erin Callihan, a standout leader in higher ed strategy and AI integration. The conversation dives into practical, real-world applications of AI for higher education, focusing on how campus professionals—regardless of role—can leverage tools to drive efficiency, spark creativity, improve campaigns, and navigate the wave of technological change. Erin shares her insights from NYU’s AI journey, offers concrete recommendations, and discusses the nuances of AI policy, ethics, and adoption in university settings.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Rapid Evolution of AI Tools in Higher Ed
- New Roles for Familiar Tools: Erin shares how established tools are being extended with AI, citing Google Gemini’s Canvas mode for instant slide creation and mind maps, and the free tool Napkin for powerful, design-free data visualization.
“I’m using a lot of the old tools in new ways...big eye opener for me was about two weeks ago that now in Google Gemini you can go into canvas mode and it actually makes really nice slides.” — Erin (01:44)
- Increased Multimodality: Erin points out that classic platforms are evolving into complex, multimodal tools, seamlessly integrating into daily workflows.
“It’s just showing how complex and multimodal they’re truly becoming. So not another standalone tool, but instead something sort of coming into an ethos that I already use every day.” — Erin (03:08)
2. AI Embedded Within Everyday Platforms
- Google Sheets AI & NotebookLM:
- The new AI features in Google Sheets allow for instant, in-panel analysis, reducing the need for dedicated data expertise.
- NotebookLM now offers video output, research capabilities, Google Drive connectivity, and grounded, source-based summaries.
“You can now do deep research within NotebookLM... All of a sudden you now have this one tool that was already powerful but... now I think it’s going to be one of those probably the top three that I can’t not use.” — Erin (04:21)
3. Underrated and Emerging AI Tools
- Whisper Flow: Convenient for voice transcription.
- Monetyai: Erin highlights this newcomer for tracking changes on any website and alerting users, which is valuable for monitoring competitor sites, news, and partnerships.
“It will track a part of that website or the entire page and it will alert you for any changes that happen. ...It also can connect to your own pages and make edits as well.” — Erin (05:32)
- Napkin AI: Relished by both Jeff and Erin for its zero-skill-required data visualization and quick PNG exports.
4. Agentic Browsers and Automating Intelligence Gathering
- Examples with Comet: Erin discusses using agentic browsers for tasks like scouring newsletters and extracting information into a handy chart:
"It is astounding... I can just see this in the future as being something that’s automated... instead of reading these newsletters... being able to extract from seven or eight newsletters at once right now, as fast as things are going, has been incredibly powerful." — Erin (07:17)
5. Tangible Impact: Saving Time & Surfacing Insights
- Survey & Qualitative Data: AI vastly accelerates sentiment analysis and the extraction of key findings, opening doors that teams “never would have bothered honestly to look for.”
- Design Shortcuts: Erin recalls having AI identify fonts from screenshots at 2:00am, drastically cutting through what used to be manual, time-consuming tasks.
“Anytime I put a flattened, you know, screenshot into anything and it can read and parse that information, I’m still just kind of blown away.” — Erin (08:50)
6. AI as a “Gateway Drug” for Non-Adopters
- Everyday technical tasks (splitting columns, building dropdowns, website FAQs) serve as accessible entry points for AI-skeptical professionals.
“One of the ‘gateway drugs’ of getting people to use AI... is these technical things...for people who have been sort of anti AI and then getting in and seeing sort of that real world things you wouldn’t find on Google..." — Erin (10:55)
7. Advancement & Fundraising: Getting Started, Managing Risk
- First Step is Starting: Erin urges advancement and fundraising professionals to pick a tool—preferably institutionally supported and consistent—and just start experimenting, staying mindful of real (and perceived) data risks.
- Clean Data Practices: Use unique identifiers to replace sensitive info before feeding anything into a large language model.
“It is get going. When I talk to my colleagues, they’ve heard from their leadership: ‘We can’t do that. It’s too risky.’ ...but there are ways to use this information and use these tools without jeopardizing that.” — Erin (12:43)
8. AI & Creativity in Campaigns
- AI for Ideation & Workflow: AI now plays a central role in creative processes—building microsites, evaluating user experience, checking design standards, and rapidly brainstorming social and evergreen content.
“It’s really hard to discern where I’m not using it these days… Even color contrast, being able to take a snapshot and put it in and say, does this hit, you know, WCHA standards for higher ed?” — Erin (16:22)
- Leveling the Playing Field: Those less confident in creativity are now coming to meetings ready with AI-boosted ideas.
9. Keeping Content Authentic and Human
- Human "Bookends": AI content is only effective when human input is strong at the start (teaching the tool about voice, mission, personas) and at the final stage (polished human oversight).
“The front end really teaching that model... who you are, how you speak. ...But then that 20% on the back end is really where I think it’s critical. That’s a human, period, full stop.” — Erin (18:28)
- Reality Checks: Even as AI gets better and the temptation to “settle for B+” content grows, Erin insists on personal accountability—"if you wouldn’t put it out as yours, stop."
10. The Dual Mindset: Law, Design, & AI
- Law Degree: Erin draws parallels between legal analysis (sourcing, distilling, weighing authority/persuasion) and how she evaluates AI outputs.
- Design Background: Her question-driven approach to design translates directly to effective AI prompting.
“Prompting became just very natural for me because I give it all of the things I need to know as a designer..." — Erin (21:19)
11. AI Policy and Culture in Higher Ed
- Guidelines, Not Just Policy: Erin advocates for practical AI guidance tailored to audiences and risk, not rigid rules.
- Speed of Change: It’s no longer about sprinting blindly; what matters is if an institution is already “in it and doing it”—otherwise, they're in trouble.
“If you are thinking about guidelines or drafting guidelines, you are going exactly the right speed. If you are not, there’s a problem.” — Erin (23:57)
- Faculty Engagement: Listening to faculty pain points and letting peers influence peers is essential for sustainable adoption.
12. Debunking AI Myths
- AI is Not a Fad: The misconception that AI is temporary is dangerous both professionally and to civic society.
“This is just a fad. ...It’s not going anywhere. Now, do you need to use these tools every day in your life? ...But you’re going to be using AI as you have been with your iPhone, right?” — Erin (27:58)
- Low-Risk Use Cases: Even professionals in high-security environments can find low-risk, time-saving AI applications.
13. The AI Superpower for Higher Ed Pros
- A “Pause Button”: Erin’s dream AI superpower is simply more time—to experiment, to evaluate, to innovate.
“I don’t know if it’s an AI superpower, but it’s a pause button. ...It would be awesome to have more time today... Now there’s a new tool every six minutes... I wish we could just give everybody more time in the day.” — Erin (29:40)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Multimodal AI:
“It’s just showing how complex and multimodal they’re truly becoming... something sort of coming into an ethos that I already use every day.”
(03:08, Erin) -
On Low-Risk AI Adoption:
“I want everybody in my life to just have the understanding of what [AI tools] can and can’t do. ...I think there’s going to be a great divide that’s going to cause even more conflict.”
(27:58, Erin) -
On Authenticity in AI-Powered Content:
“It’s critical. That’s a human, period, full stop. ...If you wouldn’t put it out as yours, stop. Like just stop.”
(18:28, Erin) -
On Policy Development Speed in Higher Ed:
“If you are thinking about guidelines or drafting guidelines, you are going exactly the right speed. If you are not, there’s a problem.”
(23:57, Erin) -
On the Need for a Pause Button:
“Now there’s a new tool every six minutes. ...I wish we could just give everybody more time in the day. The most valuable commodity that we have.”
(29:40, Erin)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 01:44 – Erin’s favorite new AI tools (Gemini Canvas, Napkin)
- 04:21 – How Google Sheets AI and NotebookLM are transforming everyday workflows
- 05:32 – Monetyai and overlooked tools for higher ed professionals
- 07:17 – Agentic browsers like Comet for automating routine info-gathering
- 08:50 – Practical time-savings: AI for surveys and design shortcuts
- 12:43 – Steps for bringing AI to advancement and fundraising
- 16:22 – How AI is now an integral part of creativity and campaign design
- 18:28 – Ensuring real, human-sounding content with the “human bookends” concept
- 21:19 – Bringing together law, design, and AI in professional practice
- 23:57 – Erin’s perspective on the right speed for policy and guidelines
- 27:58 – Debunking major AI myths in higher ed
- 29:40 – Erin’s wish for a pause button as the ultimate AI superpower
Final Takeaways
- AI is moving fast, and while the tools change daily, the fundamentals—clarifying risk, upskilling staff, and centering human oversight—remain the same.
- For higher ed, the winning strategy is thoughtful experimentation, cross-pollination of ideas, and an unwavering focus on authentic, human-centered communication.
- Leadership, peer support, and practical, role-appropriate guidelines are crucial for sustained and ethical AI adoption on campus.
For more insights and resources, visit edtechconnect.com and connect with Erin Callihan via LinkedIn or her NYU profile (see show notes).