Ep. 21 Unfixed Newswire, winter 2026 AI stories shaping higher education

In this episode of Unfixed Newswire, Nik and Zach break down the most consequential—and occasionally absurd—AI news. The conversation spans OpenAI’s push toward ads and potential NSFW content; the relentless churn of new AI models like Gemini 3 and GPT-5.x; and why tools like Claude Code and Claude Cowork may signal a real shift toward AI agents as co-workers. They also interrogate the current AI investment bubble, unpack why enterprise tools like Google Gemini’s Canvas integration may matter more than headline-grabbing launches, and close with some deliberately irresponsible speculation about humanoid robots.

OpenAI begins piloting advertisements 

AI Daily Brief, January 19, 2026, How to Make ChatGPT Ads Not Suck

The Verge,ChatGPT’s ‘adult mode’ is expected to debut in Q1 2026, https://www.theverge.com/news/842657/openai-chatgpt-adult-mode-debut-q1-2026

The Crimson, 1994, Porn on the internet!

Humai, GPT-5.2 vs Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemini 3 Pro: The Complete Comparison

The AI Daily Brief, January 13 2026, Claude Cowork is Claude Code for everyone else 

Wired, Anthropic’s Claude Cowork Is an AI Agent That Actually Works 

Instructure, Unleash the Power of AI in Canvas with Gemini LTI™

Neo, your home robot

Marques Bownlee (MKBHD) on the problem with NEO the robot 

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

Nik Janos

Professor of Sociology at California State University, Chico.

https://nikjanos.org
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Ep. 22 Building AI Capacity in Public Higher Ed with James Frazee

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Ep. 20 Make College Great Again? Nostalgia, AI, and Academic Anxiety