Meet Khanmigo: The student tutor AI being tested in school districts | 60 Minutes

Summary

Kigo, an AI-powered online tutor developed by Sal Khan (founder of Khan Academy) and OpenAI, is transforming education in U.S. classrooms. The tool assists teachers by creating lesson plans, tracking student progress, and offering personalized learning support. Students interact with Kigo for real-time feedback, fostering deeper understanding. The technology also helps catch cheating and provides constructive feedback on assignments. While Kigo is free for teachers, districts must pay for its computational costs. Kigo aims to amplify the role of teachers, not replace them, by automating routine tasks and allowing more focus on student interaction.

Takeaways

• 😀 Kigo, an AI-powered online tutor, is designed to help both teachers and students in the classroom, improving teaching efficiency and student learning effectiveness.
• 😀 Kigo was developed by Con Migo, the creator of Khan Academy, with the help of OpenAI. It's being piloted in 266 school districts across the US, serving students in grades 3-12.
• 😀 Teachers can use Kigo to quickly generate detailed lesson plans and resources, saving significant time in lesson preparation. For example, a chemistry teacher created a 4-day lesson plan in minutes using Kigo.
• 😀 Students interact with Kigo on their laptops, asking questions and receiving detailed, conversational explanations, which helps them understand concepts better and reinforces learning.
• 😀 Kigo encourages critical thinking by not just providing answers, but asking students to reflect on the information and generate their own ideas and connections.
• 😀 Khan Academy's founder, Sal Khan, believes that AI tools like Kigo can democratize access to quality education by providing personalized tutoring to all students, similar to the support wealthier families can afford.
• 😀 The AI is designed to assist teachers by offering real-time insights into student progress, tracking individual interactions, and identifying which students need additional help.
• 😀 Kigo’s AI-driven feedback on student essays allows for more timely and detailed evaluations, helping students improve their writing and critical thinking skills.
• 😀 A new feature in Kigo can flag potential cheating by detecting content copied from unknown sources, offering teachers the opportunity to address plagiarism issues.
• 😀 Kigo is currently free for teachers in the US, with school districts paying a fee of $15 per student per year to cover computational costs. The platform continues to evolve, with future updates expected to include new AI technologies like vision-based learning.
• 😀 Despite fears that AI could replace teachers, Sal Khan and the team emphasize that AI should be used to amplify the teacher's role, allowing them to spend more time on personalized student interaction and fostering a human connection in the classroom.

Q & A

What is Kigo, and how does it aim to revolutionize education?

Kigo is an AI-powered online tutor developed to help teachers be more efficient and students learn more effectively. Its goal is to provide personalized educational experiences for students, offering immediate feedback and tailored lesson plans to assist both students and teachers in achieving better educational outcomes.

Who is behind the creation of Kigo, and what experience do they bring to the project?

Kigo was created by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, with the help of OpenAI. Khan brings a strong background in education, having created the Khan Academy platform, and has collaborated with OpenAI to integrate advanced AI technology into Kigo.

How was Kigo developed, and what role did OpenAI play in its creation?

Kigo was developed by Khan Academy using OpenAI's technology, including the language model behind ChatGPT. OpenAI provided early access to their AI tools, which allowed Kigo to evolve from a simple lesson planner to a more complex AI tutor capable of supporting students and teachers in real-time.

What are the key features of Kigo that benefit teachers and students?

Kigo assists teachers by providing detailed lesson plans, saving them hours of preparation time. It also supports students by answering their questions in real-time, offering tailored responses to improve their understanding of various subjects, and providing feedback to help them learn better.

How does Kigo track student progress and help teachers assess individual students?

Kigo tracks student interactions and queries, providing teachers with real-time data about each student's activity. This data allows teachers to monitor progress, understand a student's thought process, and identify areas where more one-on-one time might be needed.

What is the role of AI in Kigo's personalized feedback and student interaction?

AI in Kigo allows for personalized feedback by analyzing students' questions and responses. Kigo provides tailored answers, asks follow-up questions to encourage deeper understanding, and helps students engage more critically with the material rather than just providing answers.

What are some concerns about the use of AI in education, and how does Kigo address these concerns?

A concern with AI in education is the potential for misuse, such as cheating or deep fakes. However, Kigo is designed with safeguards, such as not providing direct answers and focusing on guiding students to learn. Additionally, Kigo's data is not sold or shared with other tech companies, ensuring privacy and security.

How has Kigo been tested in schools, and what feedback have teachers and students provided?

Kigo is currently being piloted in 266 school districts across the U.S., with students and teachers using it in various subjects. Feedback has been positive, with students appreciating Kigo's support and guidance, and teachers finding it helpful for lesson planning and monitoring student progress.

How does Kigo help students with subjects like chemistry, and can it adapt to various learning needs?

In subjects like chemistry, Kigo helps students by providing detailed explanations and interactive questions. It can adapt to different learning levels by offering more detailed information or simpler explanations based on the student's query, helping them build a deeper understanding of the subject.

What future features are being considered for Kigo, and how might they enhance its usefulness?

Future features for Kigo include integration with OpenAI's new vision technology, which would allow Kigo to interact with students through live video and assist them in real-time. This feature could further personalize the learning experience by providing visual feedback and helping students with practical tasks.