Sal Khan’s Post

Here’s a question that has been on my mind — what impact will AI have on education? I just had a conversation with Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy and author of the new book BRAVE NEW WORDS, on the Next Big Idea podcast and I am convinced: Education is about to be *radically* transformed by AI, and largely for the better. Here’s the opportunity: 1 - 1:1 tutoring (personalized instruction) has been shown to increase academic performance by 2 standard deviations — that’s increasing a child’s performance from the 50th percentile to the 96th percentile! 2 - Personalized instruction has historically only been available to the wealthy. 3 - AI is about to make personalized instruction in *every* subject available to the *entire* planet 24/7. 4 - AI tutors, Sal assures us, will not replace teachers; they will make them more effective. Just as universal public education was world changing, creating large middle classes in the first countries that introduced it centuries ago, universal AI tutoring could generate massive, large-scale public benefit. I have been plahying with Khan Academy’s Khanmigo AI tutor, powered by GPT-4 — try it, and you will see that it’s *already* exceptionally good. This, I think, is on the short list of the near-to-medium term upsides of AI, alongside an acceleration of progress in medicine and clean energy. What are the downsides? We get into this in some detail in our conversation. Listen to my conversation with Sal on Apple or Spotify, and share your thoughts about the intersection of AI and education in the comments below. https://lnkd.in/eq2mVY89 https://lnkd.in/eF6Qnhkm

There is a world out there where Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions are taking the free catalogue of Khan Academy's educational videos-what is even today a gem of a resource-to a whole new level. While in Pakistan, 26,500,000 children (mostly girls) are out of school 💔 😢 We have Government distortions like 9 indirect taxes on electricity bill, PTA tax on smartphones. Result is we are not adopting the core tools, hidden critical infrastructure necessary for a technology revolution in Pakistan. Only 33% of women use mobile internet in Pakistan (except Afghanistan, we have the highest gender gap in mobile ownership, internet use). Smartphone penetration is at a dismal 31%. Makes it harder for Fintech, E-learning platforms like Taleemabad, NayaPay to achieve their social targets. Will add, however, even the most sophisticated AI is no substitute for the physical presence of a teacher in a child's crucial formative years. AI can compensate for gaps in teacher's technical skills like in Mathematics, Physics, bring about a more standardized quality of education. Teachers then can best focus on those domains where they are irreplaceable like making a child feel heard, acknowledged, appreciated.

The potential of a GenAI enabled Socratic Tutor is staggering … and we now all have access to the technology. The impact to learning and development will be seismic.

Sal Khan is right. I don’t like talking about AI because it feels like such a buzz word. I naturally gravitate away from anything buzzy. But Sal is absolutely right that personalized ai tutors have the potential to level the playing field and allow kids from low-income communities to access one-on-one tutoring, which is what the wealthy can afford that gives their kids a leg up. Tutoring is the number one most impactful intervention to increase learning. It’s just so expensive, which is why most title 1 school districts don’t do it. If OpenAI is serious about having a positive impact on the world, they should put their technology in Khan Academy and other free/low-cost teaching software that has data to train the ai to tutor effectively. They should do this at cost or for a fraction of the profit they take from for-profit corporations. This could provide one-on-one tutoring to millions of low income kids around the globe and possibly erase the opportunity gap.

Thinking about how AI can help learning AND teaching? This article is a great place to start. My paraphrase: Answer-bots are not the answer!

🤖 AI tools for teachers have landed at Oak National Academy 🚀 This week we've announced 3️⃣ things: 🤘 Free, open access to our first AI lesson-planning tools 💻 Investment from Department for Education to keep improving these 🛠 Helping others innovate safe and quality AI products for teachers Our early experimental tools are: 📂 Lesson planner - create quality plans based on the way Oak is structuring lessons ❓ Quiz generator - create multiple-choice quizzes for your pupils These are really early experimental tools and there's lots of levers we can pull to improve quality as we gain feedback from teachers. For those more technically minded, these levers include fine tuning and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) using vector embedding of Oak's openly licensed content. This is only the very start of that journey, and we're hoping to be able to share this openly to support quality innovation alongside the sharing of openly licensed content that we're already doing. More to come...! https://lnkd.in/eWeW-R25

The edtech market currently has only two big ideas for interactions between teachers and students and Generative AI: 1️⃣ Teachers use generative AI as a teaching assistant. (Copilots like Magic School, Brisk, etc.) 2️⃣ Students use generative AI as a tutor. (Khanmigo, etc.) Neither of those models support interactions between teachers and students. In both models, teachers and students work apart from one another. So I was excited to see some new research from Rose Wang & Dorottya (Dora) Demszky finding that generative AI tutoring improves significantly IF ... 3️⃣ teachers dedicate some of their expertise to supporting the GAI model. In their study, the researchers asked teachers to tell GPT-4 what kind of strategy they'd take in response to a student mistake. GPT-4 did the rest and outperformed vanilla GPT-4 by 75%. I describe some implications at my newsletter today but I'm overall thrilled to see researchers / operators / etc venture outside of those two big ideas and invent two partnerships between teachers & genAI. #edtech #generativeai https://lnkd.in/gMEZMuek

The Biggest Edtech Companies Are Going All In on AI. Here’s Why. Alden Do Rosario, CustomGPT.ai’s CEO and founder, believes AI won’t just help students at all levels learn but change how they learn. 👉 "If knowledge is available at the drop of a hat, similar to what Google used to do, but now it is a thousand times more powerful, then the focus on trying to memorize stuff becomes much less important." 👉 "You remember there used to be these things called 'open book tests.' Now it's going to be open AI tests. How you take an exam will be completely different with AI right at your fingertips.” Erik Ofgang, writing in Tech & Learning https://lnkd.in/gAUBNKUc #education #learning #assessment #CBA

Level Up Your Teaching with Generative AI: A Graduate's Reflection Hey educators! I'm excited to share that I recently completed Google's "Generative AI for Educators" course, and it was an absolute game-changer! This course dives deep into the world of generative AI, exploring its potential to revolutionize the way we teach and engage students. If you're curious about how AI can enhance your classroom, this post is for you. Here are some key takeaways that resonated with me: Personalized Learning: Generative AI can create customized learning materials based on individual student needs and learning styles. Imagine AI-powered tutors that adjust difficulty levels, provide targeted feedback, and recommend relevant resources on the fly. Boosting Creativity: AI tools can spark students' imaginations and encourage them to explore new ideas. From generating creative writing prompts to composing music or designing visuals, AI can be a powerful co-creation partner. Engaging Assessments: Move over, multiple-choice quizzes! AI can create interactive and dynamic assessments that go beyond rote memorization. Think simulations, problem-solving scenarios, and personalized feedback loops. ️ The course wasn't just theoretical - it provided practical guidance. We explored various AI tools and platforms specifically designed for educators. This hands-on approach allowed me to see the immediate applications in my classroom. Feeling Inspired? Here's how you can get started with Generative AI: Explore Google's AI Experiments: [https://lnkd.in/dWX5V6Py) is a fantastic platform to experiment with AI tools for education. Create stories, compose music, or generate images - the possibilities are endless! Connect with other AI-curious educators: Look for online communities or forums where educators share their experiences with AI in the classroom. You can learn from each other and bounce ideas around. Take the "Generative AI for Educators" course: If you're ready to dive deeper, Google's course is an excellent resource. Check out the course details and availability here: [https://lnkd.in/d4pBnVNR) Remember, AI is a powerful tool, but it shouldn't replace the human element in education. We, as educators, are still the ones who foster curiosity, guide learning, and create a positive learning environment. Let's embrace AI as a valuable partner in education! Who's on board? #GenerativeAI #EducationAI #FutureOfLearning #GoogleAI