If Everything Is AI… Why Are We Here? | With Dave Blanchard
Thu Feb 05 2026
Designing for the Needs of Every Learner.
If generative AI is everywhere, what’s the point of school… of teaching… of learning? In this episode, Jeremy and David sit down with Dave Blanchard to talk about what’s real (and what’s messy) when AI hits actual classrooms and institutions. From learning-space design (yes, “podium optional”) to faculty development, UDL, digital accessibility, and the gap between AI policy vs. AI practice, Dave brings a grounded, human-first take: AI can help, but learning still has to lead.
In this conversation, we dig into:
Why “policy” often lags behind what people are already doingAI as a collaborator for feedback, clarity, and communicationEquity + access realities (infrastructure gaps, tool availability)UDL as the lens for designing options and removing barriersDigital accessibility as more than a checkboxResources & Links:
Dave Blanchard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsonblanchard/
MNGAIA / AI4MN: https://www.ai4mn.org/
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Designing for the Needs of Every Learner. If generative AI is everywhere, what’s the point of school… of teaching… of learning? In this episode, Jeremy and David sit down with Dave Blanchard to talk about what’s real (and what’s messy) when AI hits actual classrooms and institutions. From learning-space design (yes, “podium optional”) to faculty development, UDL, digital accessibility, and the gap between AI policy vs. AI practice, Dave brings a grounded, human-first take: AI can help, but learning still has to lead. In this conversation, we dig into: Why “policy” often lags behind what people are already doingAI as a collaborator for feedback, clarity, and communicationEquity + access realities (infrastructure gaps, tool availability)UDL as the lens for designing options and removing barriersDigital accessibility as more than a checkboxResources & Links: Dave Blanchard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsonblanchard/ MNGAIA / AI4MN: https://www.ai4mn.org/