Foundational Impact

About Foundational Impact

Welcome to Foundational Impact, a podcast series that focuses on education and artificial intelligence from a nonprofit perspective. Hosted by Daniel Emmerson, the Executive Director of Good Future Foundation, a non profit whose mission is to equip educators to confidently prepare all students, regardless of their background, to benefit from and succeed in an AI infused world. This podcast series sets out to explore the trials and tribulations of building a non profit from the ground up, while also investigating the changing world of technology in life, learning, and work.

Publisher

Good Future Foundation

Category

technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Apr 2024

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

43 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Oct 2026

   Navigating AI Friction and Future Work Anxiety in Schools with Dr. Iro Konstantinou

   In this episode from the Festival of Education at Wellington College 2026, host Daniel Emmerson speaks with Dr Iro Konstantinou, Head of Research and Impact at Eton College. Dr Konstantinou discusses the role of artificial intelligence in education, highlighting findings from primary data gathered across diverse UK schools. She explores the concept of cognitive offloading, how students' perceptions of AI are influenced by their background and social media, and how schools can prepare students for an AI-impacted workplace by fostering critical thinking and transferable skills. Key Topics & Timestamps 00:00 Cognitive Struggle and Early AI Perceptions 00:28 Introducing Dr Iro Konstantinou 01:23 Highlights from the Festival of Education 02:00 Overview of Research at Eton College 03:25 Gathering Primary Evidence on Student AI Use 05:24 Regional Disparities and Student Attitudes Towards AI 06:57 Personal AI Usage and Data Privacy Awareness 08:24 The Role of Social Media in Shaping AI Perceptions 09:19 Teachers' Concerns and the Cognitive Offloading Trap 11:04 Classroom Strategies: Prohibition vs Socratic Prompting 12:11 Workplace Anxiety and Changing University Choices 14:27 Supporting Schools with Industry Skills and Best Practice 15:25 Community Outreach and Collaboration at CIRL 17:11 How to Connect and Get Involved with Eton’s Research Key Takeaways & Highlights Academic Skepticism vs. Overconfidence: Students at highly selective academic schools often express a desire to maintain "cognitive struggle" and avoid AI, whereas students in other settings use AI for personal tasks without fully grasping data privacy risks. The Influence of Social Media: Many young people rely on social media platforms rather than formal guidance to form their understanding of AI ethics, safety, and application. Diverse Classroom Approaches: Teacher responses range from strict prohibition to incorporating Socratic prompting, highlighting the need for explicit metacognitive training to support critical thinking. Shift in Workplace Expectations: Students are altering higher education paths due to career automation concerns, pointing to a need for schools to emphasize transferable human skills and philosophy-driven thinking. Democratising Educational Research: Outreach initiatives focus on sharing best practices and supporting schools in underserved areas to ensure AI evidence-based guidance is accessible across the sector. Resources Mentioned The Tony Little Centre for Innovation and Research in Learning (CIRL) at Eton College: Research hub focusing on pedagogy, evidence-informed practice, and AI impact. https://cirl.etoncollege.com/ (https://cirl.etoncollege.com/) Department for Education (DfE) Gen AI Product Safety Standards: Standards addressing friction in learning and cognitive offloading risks. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/generative-ai-product-safety-standards (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/generative-ai-product-safety-standards) Guest Contact Information Guest: Dr Iro Konstantinou (Head of Research and Impact, Eton College) Dr Iro Konstantinou is an education researcher and adviser specialising in evidence-informed practice across schools, universities, and the wider education sector. She currently serves as Head of Research and Impact at Eton College, where she leads research on curriculum development, professional learning, equity, and the impact of AI on education. Previously, she held academic and leadership roles at Pearson, UCL, and the University of Warwick. She is also a trained coach, having completed an undergraduate course in coaching at the University of Cambridge. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-iro-konstantinou/ (https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-iro-konstantinou/)

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Equity versus Productivity in the Age of AI Education

   Episode Overview In this episode from the Festival of Education at Wellington College 2026, host Daniel Emmerson speaks with Victoria Hedlund, founder of GenEd Labs. Victoria discusses bias in generative artificial intelligence, the importance of inclusion, and what meaningful human oversight should look like in education. She also explores how educators can challenge AI outputs, balance productivity with equity, and preserve the essential human element in teaching. Key Topics & Timestamps 00:00 Putting Output on Trial 00:33 Introduction to Victoria Hedlund 01:37 Researching Bias and Human Oversight 03:11 Why Schools Must Focus on Bias 05:56 Sparks, Lightbulbs, and Gender Stereotypes 08:12 Frequency of Exposure: Teachers vs AI 09:09 Visual Representation and Image Bias 13:06 Questioning Assumptions and Model Iteration 17:09 Equity Versus Productivity 20:49 The Human in the Loop 24:30 Embracing Messy Humanness in Education Key Takeaways & Highlights Putting AI on Trial: Teachers and students should treat AI outputs critically, challenging assumptions and testing validity rather than accepting generated content at face value. Deficit vs Strengths-Based Framing: Standard AI prompts often apply deficit-based language to neurodivergent or marginalised learners, requiring specific contextual framing from educators to deliver equitable outputs. Frequency of Exposure: While human teachers hold natural biases, students interact with AI models through hundreds of continuous iterations, amplifying potential harm if outputs remain unmitigated. Average vs Instantaneous Productivity: Relying on AI for quick administrative wins can sacrifice long-term accuracy, making upfront contextual alignment crucial for meaningful workload reduction. Preserving the Human Element: Complex emotional needs, non-verbal communication, and relational learning cannot be replicated by software, keeping human teachers central to classroom learning. Resources Mentioned GenEd Labs: Innovation lab focused on artificial intelligence research, inclusion, and educational tools. https://www.genedlabs.com/ (https://www.genedlabs.com/) Guest Contact Information Guest: Victoria Hedlund (Founder, GenEd Labs) Victoria is a thought leader, researcher and consultant focused on fair AI use in education. Known as the ‘AI Bias Girl,’ she creates practical awareness and mitigation strategies for educators and leaders, using her research of emergent AI bias in educational contexts. She is a major voice in AI pedagogical alignment and has contributed to the updated DfE and Chartered College Safe and Effective Use of Generative AI in Education Guidance, and to the British Computing Society's AI course ‘AI Confidence’. She is editor of AI Bias in Education and author of 100 Quick GenAI Prompts for Teachers and Educators. She sits on the advisory board for the Institute of AI Education, is a member of the Centre for Digital Information Literacy in Schools Expert Working Group, and is part of Oxford University's AIEOU network. She convenes the Teacher Education AI Network (TEANs).

3. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Foundational Impact | Official Trailer

   Foundational Impact is a Good Future Foundation podcast exploring how artificial intelligence is changing education. Through conversations with people whose work is shaping the direction education takes next, we examine the evidence, the challenges facing schools and the decisions being made across the sector. Hosted by Daniel Emmerson. Follow Foundational Impact on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Website: www.goodfuture.foundation (http://www.goodfuture.foundation)

Who has been a guest on Foundational Impact

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Dave Leonard
• Steve Lancaster
• Thomas Sparrow

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

1,367

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 20 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

14

Social presence

0

YouTube

65

Engagement

0

Contact Foundational Impact

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.