The International Schools Podcast
176 - Who's Really Choosing? A Conversation with James Brusseau, PhD
Why It Matters
Understanding how AI subtly influences decisions—whether in romance, media consumption, or education—helps educators and learners safeguard autonomy and critical thinking. Brusseau’s work demonstrates a path toward AI that amplifies, rather than replaces, the distinctive expertise of teachers, making the discussion timely as schools grapple with rapid AI integration.
Key Takeaways
- •Agentic AI shifts tools from answering to acting autonomously.
- •Mimetic AI aims to replicate individual professor’s teaching style.
- •Recommendation algorithms invisibly shape personal, professional, and entertainment choices.
- •Ethical concerns include loss of critical thinking and autonomy.
- •Pace University pilots personalized AI assistants for student support.
Pulse Analysis
In this episode, hosts explore how agentic AI transforms tools from simple question‑answer bots into autonomous assistants that execute commands. The conversation quickly turns to the ethical minefield this creates for educators, who must decide whether using such tools constitutes cheating or a legitimate pedagogical aid. Alongside the rise of agentic models, the hosts highlight recommendation algorithms—powerful, often invisible engines that decide which movies, jobs, or romantic partners we encounter, subtly shaping our daily decisions. These developments force institutions to rewrite policies around AI use and academic integrity.
Professor Brusseau describes his “mimetic AI” research at Pace University, where a large‑language model is trained to imitate his own teaching voice, examples, and humor. Dubbed the “caffeinated professor,” the system pulls from recorded lectures and written material to answer student queries in a style that feels uniquely his, rather than the generic ChatGPT response. Early trials showed mixed results—students appreciated specificity when questions were narrow, but broader prompts produced generic answers—prompting a redesign that leverages retrieval‑augmented generation for tighter context. The team also integrates real‑time retrieval of Brusseau’s published papers, ensuring answers stay current with evolving ethical debates.
The broader implication, Brusseau warns, is that recommendation engines already narrow our choices in dating apps, LinkedIn, Netflix, and even travel planning, raising the specter of diminished autonomy and critical thinking. If predictive models become accurate enough to anticipate our desires, the traditional notion of freedom may become redundant, turning users into passive recipients of algorithmic suggestions. The episode concludes that educators and policymakers must balance the convenience of personalized AI with safeguards that preserve independent judgment and intellectual diversity. Future research should explore transparent algorithmic audits and student training to maintain agency amid ever‑more persuasive recommendation systems.
Episode Description
How hidden AI recommendations shape our decisions and identity.
About Prof. James Brusseau, PhD
James Brusseau, PhD is a Professor of Philosophy at Pace University in New York City, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate students. He has taught philosophy for more than 14 years in Mexico, Europe, and the United States, including at California State University–Fullerton before joining Pace in 2008. His teaching specialties include continental philosophy, the history of philosophy, and ethics. He is the author of seven books on philosophy and ethics, including Dignity, Pleasures, Vulgarity (2017), Business Ethics Workshop (2011), and Decadence of the French Nietzsche (2004).
In recent years, his work has focused on AI ethics, especially transparency and the “black box” problem in algorithmic decision-making. He studies how recommendation systems shape what we see and choose, and what that means for fairness, privacy, freedom, authenticity, and human creativity.
Prof. James Brusseau, PhD on Social Media
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-brusseau/
https://online.pace.edu/undergraduate-programs/bs-professional-communication-studies/faculty/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://philpeople.org/profiles/james-brusseau
Resources
The Dilemma Between Euphoria and Freedom in Recommendation Algorithms
https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.11465
The AI Human Condition is a Dilemma between Authenticity and Freedom
https://philarchive.org/rec/BRUTAH-4
Ethics of identity in the time of big data
https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/9624
https://philarchive.org/rec/BRUITD-2
Introduction to Data Ethics
AI Human Impact: Toward a Model for Ethical Investing in AI-Intensive Companies
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.07703
John Mikton on Social Media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmikton/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmikton
Web: beyonddigital.org
Dan Taylor on social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appsevents
Twitter: https://twitter.com/appdkt
Web: www.appsevents.com
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