Using AI to help kids learn

Introduction

A New Kind of Storytime

Alex was thrilled to meet an extra-terrestrial being. The program, called Little Lit, is powered by AI and uses cues from children to invent unique educational lessons on math, writing, or reading. It was created to fill a gap in the market that its developer, Dy Bid Heran Rohan, identified.

"We have all these small waiting videos because AI is doing it on the go," says Rohan. "So it's a new problem to solve."

Unique Approach to Learning

Little Lit leverages artificial intelligence to meet educational demands that humans might struggle to fulfill, despite their best efforts. Rohan strongly believes that AI has the power to meet these demands in ways that even awesome teachers and parents cannot achieve. The motivation to create such an app arose from this realization.

Interactive and Engaging Learning Tools

The interactive app is one of many educational tools popping up online, aimed at capturing the attention of both kids and parents. Some of these tools even include unique child speech recognition technology that can help improve literacy and self-directed learning. The app coaches children through tricky words with friendly and animated facades. Yet, behind these visuals are complex computer systems solving tasks that were once solely the domain of humans.

Challenges and Guardrails

It's new territory, and even developers acknowledge the need for guardrails to protect young users. According to Rohan, it’s not about kids being able to do anything but rather about how AI is being used. For instance, in their case, AI helps determine whether a child's pronunciation of a word is accurate.

Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning

However, experts remind us that learning isn't just a cognitive process; it's also social, cultural, and emotional. These are aspects that an AI might find hard to rival. Parents can relate stories to real-life experiences, providing a context that an AI tool, limited to the information fed through prompts, may lack.

Embracing Technological Change

For parents who choose to embrace it, AI technology becomes another tool to prepare children for fundamental changes in how we work, live, and learn. Skills needed to keep up with AI advancements can also be taught using AI.

“AI exists now. What skills do you need to teach your child to keep up with that? And hey, by the way, AI can help with that as well,” says Rohan.

Future of Learning

As children are the future, so is AI. The educational potential of AI tools like Little Lit can pave the way for a new era in education.

Georgie SMI, CBC News, Vancouver

Keywords

• AI
• Little Lit
• educational lessons
• child speech recognition technology
• cognitive process
• social-cultural-emotional learning
• fundamental changes
• learning tools
• educational apps
• interactive apps

FAQ

Q: What is the name of the AI-powered educational program mentioned in the article? A: The program is called Little Lit.

Q: What subjects does Little Lit focus on? A: Little Lit offers unique educational lessons on math, writing, and reading.

Q: How does Little Lit help improve literacy? A: Little Lit uses child speech recognition technology to coach children through tricky words.

Q: What challenges do developers face while creating AI educational tools? A: Developers need to establish guardrails for young users and ensure that AI tools can be as socially and emotionally engaging as human teachers.

Q: Why is it important for parents to embrace AI in education? A: Embracing AI technology helps prepare children for fundamental changes in the way we work, live, and learn.

Q: What aspects of learning are believed to be hard for AI to rival? A: AI may struggle with the social, cultural, and emotional aspects of learning that humans naturally excel at.