Sidekicks Kickstarter - A Fusion of AI & Education

[JohnBW1973]

Has anyone else seen this Kickstarter for an AI-empowered education program called Sidekicks?



Their goal is to create a holographic AI system that can be used in a number of different ways, including educational applications. They've talked about providing plugins for the app that allow people to learn directly from the AI system. Unlike Alexa/Siri/etc., this AI is interactive and, since it uses a holographic display, it makes it possible for learners to visually interact with it. I've spoken with the creator and he envisions making these available to schools in majority world countries, so students there can have access to educational opportunities that would otherwise be denied them. His vision piques my interest because it's an example of approaching our world's educational challenges with real innovation.

Is anyone else familiar with examples of AI-empowered education that are currently on the market or in the development pipeline?

[MrsLesperance]

I had not come across that Kickstarter. To be honest, it looks a bit gimmicky to me. With that said, I have seen some research on AI and education. And I believe we will see a greater integration of the two in the coming decade. Though I think it will look less like something off the Jetsons and more mundane (though no doubt still revolutionary). Check out this article on the topic. The author lays out a variety of ways AI could help modern teachers, including...

Collective intelligence tools will be available to save teachers time with tasks like grading papers so teachers and TAs can spend more time with students. AI can help identify struggling students through behavioral cues and give them a nudge in the right direction.

AI can also help educators foster greater inclusivity—AI-based language translation, for example, can enable more students with diverse backgrounds to participate in a class or listen to a lecture....Schools can even use AI to offer a truly personalized learning experience—overcoming one of the biggest limitations of our modern, one-to-many education model.

It's only a matter of time before we see a greater fusion of AI and education. The future looks bright on that front.