Khan Academy has always been a great learning resource for me growing up. Inevitable to the ever-evolving integration of artificial intelligence in most fields today, Khan Academy launched an AI powered teaching assistant and tutor in the midst of a growing controversy, called Khanmigo. Over the past 2 years, ChatGPT-like generative AI tools have been condemned for cheating and other shortcuts that students use to get work done. Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy is one of these individuals who denounces the misuse of generative AI, but also understands its potential. Leveraging the controversy to address flaws in AI education tools, unbeknownst to the public, Khan had been working with OpenAI on improving GPT-4 for educational use. Recognising GPT-4’s weakness in math and potential biases, Khan and his team infused Khan Academy’s database into GPT, creating Khanmigo- a safe, accurate, and interactive tutor that adapts to users’ skill levels without providing direct answers. Unlike traditional tools, Khanmigo encourages critical thinking and engagement rather than providing straightforward answers.
Khanmigo works for both educators and students. It aims to aid educators to generate lesson plans, integrate Khan Academy resources and their own materials, create quizzes and assignments saving educators time and effort to devise question banks. It also provides educators with real-time information on their students’ performances and identifies needs for personalized support. Unlike a traditional tutor, Khanmigo is available 24/7 for students. This is an example of how the concept of AI-powered tutors has gone beyond question-answering systems. These tutors offer more comprehensive, multilingual support, including identifying knowledge gaps, recommending personalized learning pathways and providing feedback on practice exercises.
Khanmigo was launched in beta in March 2023. Hobart’s school district, among the 500 schools across the nation that used the Khanmigo assistant, gave the software an enthusiastic thumbs up. Its success in the testing phase demonstrates its potential to revolutionize teaching methods. Despite its initial success, Khan acknowledges the bittersweet reality of transitioning his life’s work to AI, confronting the possibility of becoming obsolete as AI-driven education evolves.
In conclusion, Khanmigo represents a model for responsible AI in education, emphasizing collaboration, testing, and customization. Its impact on the educational landscape, backed by a $2 million AI-Powered Platform Pilot Grant in Indiana, highlights the potential for AI to enhance learning experiences, paving the way for a more accessible and engaging future in education. The AI, now available for individual use at $4 per month, aims to make quality education accessible.
Insufficient information about AI is still a concern among educators. Despite 72% of K-12 teachers, principals, and district leaders acknowledging the significance of teaching students how to use AI tools, a staggering 87% report receiving no professional instruction on integrating AI into their work, according to a June survey by the EdWeek Research Center. Addressing this gap, Khan Academy is developing an AI learning course titled “AI 101 for Teachers,” in collaboration with Code.org, ETS, and the International Society for Technology in Education. This initiative, along with the usage of Khanmigo, aims to provide teachers with a structured path to AI literacy, bridging the knowledge divide and empowering educators to effectively incorporate AI tools into their teaching practices.
Bibliography
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/02/22/artificial-intelligence-sal-khan/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/02/22/khanmigo-trump-sneakers-reparations-mdcd/
- https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/21/tech/khan-academy-ai-tutor/index.html
4 thoughts on “Khanmigo: Revolutionizing Education with AI-Powered Tutoring”
I think that the disconnect between understanding the importance of teaching and learning to use AI in a responsible way and not integrating the techniques for how to use such technology is an interesting idea. If they think that it is so great, why don’t they use it? I have always loved Khan Academy and think that it is a great resource, and I am glad that they have taken the steps to ensure that their AI is used in a productive way and is not just another way for students to cheat.
sak6333
I think that the disconnect between educators knowing the importance of using AI in a responsible way and the same educators not integrating the technology in their lessons is an interesting topic. If you think that it is so great, why don’t you teach it? I have always loved Khan Academy and think that it is a great resource. I am glad to see that they are taking steps to ensure that the technology is used the correct way, and they can establish pathways to using it responsibly.
sak6333
It is cool to read about all the ways people react to AI in education. Since some people try to ban it from being used while others try to use its potential to enhance learning. I think the idea of having an AI that doesn’t give answers and helps encourage learning is definitely interesting.
adam
It is interesting to me that AI is now being used to tutor students. In my chemistry class, part of our homework assignments is to identify incorrect answers provided by ChatGPT, which makes me question the integrity of AI as a tutor. However, the people using it seem to enjoy it. It makes me wonder if education is going to become less and less human in the future, which is a scary reality to think about.
Noelia Rane