Google at Bett: Gemini 3.0 Transforms Education

Episode Overview

Recorded live from Bett UK 2026, this episode of The EdTech Podcast features a conversation between host Philippa Wraithmell and Shantanu, who leads product and engineering at Google for Education. Together, they explore how Gemini 3.0 is moving AI from promise to classroom practice—while keeping educators in control, safeguarding student data, and supporting meaningful learning at scale.

Key Themes in This Episode

• Gemini 3.0 and AI in classrooms
• Teacher control and data privacy
• LearnLM and learning-science-led AI
• Personalised and accessible learning
• AI literacy for students
• Time-saving tools for educators
• Ethical AI adoption in schools

Why Listen to This Episode?

This episode offers a practical, transparent look at how AI is being designed with education—not imposed on it. You’ll hear how Google is embedding AI across Classroom and Workspace, enabling audio lessons, personalised support, and accessibility features while maintaining enterprise-grade privacy. With real-world pilots showing educators saving up to ten hours a week, the conversation highlights how AI can reduce workload, not add to it, when thoughtfully implemented.

Who This Episode Is For?

This episode is ideal for school leaders, educators, IT administrators, and policymakers navigating AI adoption. It’s especially valuable for those seeking secure, scalable, and ethical AI tools that align with pedagogy, accessibility, and equity across K–12 and higher education.

Full Episode Description

Live from the floor of Bett UK 2026, this episode captures a pivotal moment in education as AI moves from theory into daily classroom practice. Host Philippa Wraithmell sits down with Shantanu Sinha, Vice President of Google for Education, to explore how Gemini 3.0 is reshaping teaching and learning at global scale.

Shantanu leads product and engineering across Google’s education ecosystem, including Google Classroom, Workspace, NotebookLM, Read Along, and Gemini. In this conversation, he explains how Google is prioritising educator control, student data privacy, and pedagogical integrity as AI becomes more deeply embedded in schools.

A key focus is LearnLM, Google’s initiative to fine-tune AI models using learning science. Shantanu outlines why quality, safety, and trust are non-negotiable—especially in subjects such as maths and science—and how Gemini 3.0 delivers high-level reasoning while remaining free for education institutions.

Listeners gain insight into how Gemini operates both as a standalone tool and as a layer across Google Workspace, enabling meaningful personalisation without increasing complexity. New Classroom features allow teachers to turn content into audio lessons, while NotebookLM can convert dense research into podcasts or slide decks tailored to individual learning preferences. These tools support accessibility, inclusion, and learner agency while reducing teacher workload.

The episode also addresses global equity. Drawing on Google’s international pilots, Shantanu shares how falling AI costs and offline-friendly models are expanding access to high-quality learning, from urban classrooms to remote communities. Some pilots report teachers saving up to ten hours a week—time redirected back to teaching and relationships.

Before Google, Shantanu was the founding President and COO of Khan Academy, helping scale free, personalised learning worldwide—experience that continues to shape his approach today.

The conversation closes on a core principle: teachers remain central. Google’s “teacher-in-the-loop” approach ensures AI supports professional judgement rather than replacing it, offering a grounded, hopeful view of AI’s role in education’s future.

Ready to experience the innovation firsthand? Make sure to check out what is happening at BETT UK 2026 to join the global community of educators transforming the future. This episode is proudly sponsored by Edmentum and by Edruption, powering the future of learning.