The Future of Education: AI, Accessibility, and Canvas
How will generative AI reshape the classroom? Ryan Lufkin, VP of Global Academic Strategy at Instructure, joins Marc Aflalo to discuss the new OpenAI partnership, how Canvas powers millions of students worldwide, and what this means for the future of education and accessibility.
Canvas has become the digital backbone of education, used by over half of North America’s college students and rapidly growing worldwide. In this conversation, Ryan Lufkin explains how Canvas and OpenAI are working together to embed AI into the classroom in ways that feel seamless, trustworthy, and genuinely useful for both teachers and students.
We explore why education shifted from “nice-to-have” to “must-have” technology after COVID, the eight global trends shaping academic strategy, and how AI can support personalized learning, accessibility, and lifelong education. Ryan also addresses big concerns around bias, data privacy, and misuse—highlighting Instructure’s “trust first” approach to rolling out AI features.
The discussion covers practical use cases, including AI study modes that encourage learning instead of cheating, accessibility tools that generate alt text and improve course design, and equity-focused strategies to ensure schools of all sizes can benefit from AI. Ryan also shares insights on how educators can build AI literacy and overcome fears by treating it like a “lazy graduate assistant”—a helpful starting point, not a replacement for human expertise.
[Chapters]
0:00 – Introduction and name banter
0:31 – What is Instructure and Canvas?
1:35 – Why Canvas is the “backbone” of education
3:09 – Key global education challenges
4:50 – The new OpenAI partnership explained
6:01 – How AI will show up in classrooms
7:29 – Why now? The timing of AI in education
8:21 – Addressing bias, hallucinations, and trust
9:59 – Real-world use cases and Harvard study
11:47 – Accessibility and universal design
13:34 – Equity, affordability, and global access
15:23 – Surprising outcomes from AI in education
16:52 – What success looks like in the next year
18:16 – Why educators still matter in the AI era
19:10 – Advice for educators hesitant about AI
20:54 – Final thoughts and closing
[Call to Action]
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[Relevant Links]
Canvas by Instructure: https://www.instructure.com/canvas
InstructureCon: https://www.instructure.com/events/instructurecon
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