As we wrap up 2025 and head into the new year, we're sharing one of our most talked-about conversations from the past year. Because if anything, it feels even more relevant now than when we first recorded it.

In this episode, we dig into a growing crisis in higher education: students who are increasingly disengaged, underprepared, and incentivized to outsource their thinking to AI. We talk through a sobering article by a longtime philosophy professor describing today’s “average” college classroom, alongside reporting that shows just how widespread AI cheating has become, even at Ivy League schools.

But this isn’t just a rant about “kids these days.” What we’re really wrestling with here is the deeper issue: when education becomes purely transactional, curiosity dies, integrity erodes, and students are trained to become assistants to machines rather than thoughtful, creative humans. We contrast that reality with what we see every day in environments built around purpose, community, and meaningful learning—and why those alternatives matter more than ever.

We also zoom out to ask some bigger questions:

What does this mean for the future of work?

What kind of people are we forming when convenience replaces character?

And how do we choose a better path for ourselves and for the next generation?

There are some troubling trends happening around us, but there's always hope. There are better ways forward, and we believe choosing them has never mattered more.

Thanks for listening with us this year. We’re incredibly grateful for this community and excited for what’s ahead in 2026. Until then, be unbound.

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill