DEV-TOOLSApril 16, 20261 min read16 views

Sal Khan's AI revolution hasn't happened yet

Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, acknowledges that AI has yet to deliver the massive learning gains he once predicted, as student engagement with AI tutors remains lower than expected.

Chalkbeat Ideas is a new section featuring reported columns on the big ideas and debates shaping American schools.

Three years ago, as Khan Academy founder Sal Khan rolled out an AI-powered tutoring chatbot, he predicted a revolution in learning. So far, the revolution hasn’t happened, he acknowledges.

“For a lot of students, it was a non-event,” Khan told me recently about his eponymous chatbot, Khanmigo. “They just didn’t use it much.”

Khan’s comments are an acknowledgement that AI has not quickly allowed for the creation of an effective super-tutor, as some initially hoped. It’s an early indication of the limits of AI to drive massive learning gains, long an unrealized goal of various technologies. While Khan remains optimistic about various uses of AI in education, he’s also come to see its limits.

In the summer of 2022, OpenAI leaders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman reached out to Sal Khan, providing early access to GPT-4. With that, the Khan Academy team built Khanmigo, designed to help students learn without simply giving them the answer. Khan himself quickly became an evangelist for the technology’s uses in schools, suggesting it could turn the average student into an academic standout.

However, teachers like Kristen Musall at Hobart High School found that students didn’t really care for the bot. They found it frustrating when it wouldn't give away the answer or when it made mistakes. Nationally, a majority of teenagers say AI-powered cheating is prevalent, creating a headache for educators.

Khan Academy officials have seen that many students won’t take advantage of AI or don’t know how to. Kristen DiCerbo, the organization’s chief learning officer, noted that students aren't great at asking questions well.

Khan Academy recently announced an overhaul, incorporating Khanmigo directly into specific problems rather than waiting for students to seek it out. “AI is going to help,” said Khan. “But I think our biggest lever is really investing in the human systems.”

Source: Hacker News

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