In this episode, Host Taylor Baker speaks with Scott Didriksen, an AI instructor at the College of Western Idaho, about how AI education is evolving and what it takes to prepare students (and working professionals) to use fast-changing tools responsibly and effectively in real-world roles.
What You’ll Learn
- • Why many employers are quickly moving toward treating AI fluency as a baseline job expectation, not a bonus skill
- • How two-year programs can teach practical, job-ready AI application without requiring an advanced research background
- • What it takes to build an AI curriculum when the technology changes weekly, and why flexibility matters as much as structure
- • How to think about AI as a productivity partner by prompting proactively instead of waiting passively for answers
- • Why foundational understanding still matters, especially when AI outputs can be outdated or simply wrong
- • How to spot and manage hallucinations and errors by validating outputs with real domain knowledge and testing
- • What “responsible use” looks like in learning environments, including how to avoid turning AI into a shortcut that weakens skill-building
- • How to connect AI learning to business value by focusing on data preparation, workflow integration, and solvable problem selection
Scott’s perspective reinforces a simple but urgent message: AI is becoming embedded in everyday work, and the advantage will go to people who can apply it thoughtfully grounded in fundamentals, aware of limitations, and focused on outcomes that genuinely improve how work gets done. As programs like CWI’s continue to mature, the goal is clear: build practical capability that translates into real opportunities for students and teams navigating rapid change.
To learn more about Scott Didriksen and their work.