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I’m not going to see you again until after Valentine’s Day!
So I wanted to make sure to get this to you. Pick your favorite!
Today, you’ll discover:
Last week, we headed to San Francisco to attend The Common Sense Summit, a conference held by Common Sense Media, an advocacy group for kids and families. Leaders from all fields came together at the event to talk about mental health, childcare, and the future of AI in our kids’ lives.
In today’s special boots-on-the-ground edition of ammi.ai, we’ll cover our usual 3 sections with tech, talks, and tidbits from the event.
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These 3 AI apps give us a glimpse into the future of learning
One of our favorite sessions at the event was a panel of leaders representing educational AI apps. But these weren’t just randomly chosen AI apps.
They were the highest-rated apps among those reviewed as part of Common Sense Media’s AI Initiative.
Ello, an AI reading companion for kids
The Ello app features a bright cartoon elephant, Ello, that listens as the child reads aloud, helps them with mistakes or challenges, and rewards them with prizes.
Ello stands out for the design of its AI reading tutor, the selection of diverse and engaging books, and the positive ways the AI tutor motivates young, struggling readers.
Khanmigo, an AI tutor for learners, an AI sidekick for teachers
As a tutor for students, Khanmigo generates conversational step-by-step support and feedback for independent learning. As an assistant for teachers, Khanmigo can support lesson planning, draft assessment questions, and suggestions for educational activities and exercises.
Khan Academy's generative AI chatbot is responsibly designed for education, but risks remain.
Kyron Learning, a personalized human tutor powered by AI
Kyron Learning provides video lessons with expert human teachers and interactions powered by conversational AI.
Kyron's AI-powered tutor helps fourth graders learn math through responsibly designed interactive video lessons.
🌿 ammi note: This was our favorite app! It is a great combination of human + AI. The app delivers an engaging human learning experience for children, where the star is a charismatic human teacher, with the AI mostly behind the scenes.
Planting the Seed: Explore AI topics and headlines in simple language.
In today’s Planting the Seed, we’d like to share insights from 2 prominent leaders who shared their perspectives at the Summit.
The first is Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI - the company behind ChatGPT, the AI chatbot that took the world by storm and has 180 million users. The second is Sal Khan, CEO and founder of Khan Academy, which is an online learning platform used by over 100 million students and teachers across 190 countries.
Their insights on the future of AI + Education, as the folks shaping it, can give us an idea of what we can expect in the coming years.
What does Sam say?
Altman, left, speaking to the CEO of Common Sense Media, right
“I think people said that about calculators.”
Sam said this about parents and teachers who don't want kids to use AI tools like ChatGPT because they think it will hurt their learning process. He went on to say:
“Humans are tool users, and we better teach people to use tools that are out in the world.”
Personalized Learning: Sam envisions AI-powered tools that offer personalized learning experiences for every student.
Preparation for the Future: He emphasizes the importance of preparing our children for a future where adaptability and problem-solving skills are important, with AI acting as an ally in this journey.
Teacher Support: Altman believes that AI will not replace teachers but can help them in providing tailored support to students.
🤫 Sam hinted at a possible ‘ChatGPT for kids’ offering.
What does Sal say?
Sal Khan, left, speaking to Natasha Singer of the New York Times.
“ But a lot of tutoring is about motivation, and making sure that the students are showing up…you're gonna see that AI is being more multimodal and getting them to engage in their learning…”
Engaging AI Tutors: Sal envisions AI as a powerful tutor and motivator for students, helping them actively engage with their learning materials.
Support for Teachers: AI can also support teachers in lesson planning and grading, potentially leading to a "golden age of teaching."
Addressing Concerns: Khan acknowledges concerns about AI in education, such as cheating and data privacy, but emphasizes the importance of implementing responsible use and proper guardrails.
Summarizing what Sam and Sal said
According to Sam and Sal, AI in education will result in more individualized learning experiences for students, and support for teachers who are overburdened.
They paint a pretty picture, and while they addressed concerns about cheating, privacy, safety with assurances of guardrails and Responsible AI, it is up to us to ensure they keep their word.
Parents and educators must ask the right questions - and know which questions to ask - to make sure the AI that will shape our children’s future is the healthiest AI possible.
Fruitful Harvest: Fresh AI fruits from the community garden.
Ammi’s brief guide to conferences
One of my missions with ammi.ai is to share stuff that I find useful that folks don’t talk about much outside the corporate world.
Let’s talk about conferences.
Conferences, or Summits as they are sometimes called, are basically indoor playgrounds for adults. There’s ample food and free stuff, and if it’s a conference about something that matters to you, you can learn a lot and meet cool people.
Step 1: Find a conference
Think about things, topics, and industries you are interested in, then search for events and conferences in those categories. You can Google or try searching on event platforms like Eventbrite to find events in your area.
Step 2: Attend anything for free
A conference can be expensive, especially if it is not local. If the conference price tag is making you reconsider an event you would really value, try three things:
For really big events, they usually have a virtual component totally free.
Email the conference organizers! I emailed Common Sense Media to request a discount and they waived my ticket price. Ask nicely 🙂
After a conference, the organization that held it will usually share recorded sessions or highlights on its website, blog, or social media.
Note: Sometimes the conferences are for a target audience (entrepreneurs only, chefs only, marketing professionals only), but you can sign up for anything by calling yourself a ‘Founder.’ No one really checks. In the registration form, you are a ‘Founder’ of ‘House of <insert your last name>.’
Step 3: Conquer the Conference
If you do attend a conference in person, a few tips:
Pick sessions beforehand. You can’t do everything. Go to the sessions you’re most interested in. Don’t burn out by taking notes. Record valuable sessions with Otter.ai so you can actually be present.
Go to the Expo Hall. This is where the people who sponsored the event will have booths to sell their goods or services. There will be freebies at these booths, like pens, notebooks, and mugs. Take the freebies 😁
Talk to people. This might be uncomfortable, but you will regret it if you don’t push yourself and meet new people who are interested in the same stuff you are interested in. Who knows? You may find your next partner, mentor, or investor. At the very least, you’ll make a friend.
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This month, we’re sharing:
4-step guide to Getting Comfortable Outside Your Comfort Zone
An interview with a real brain doctor to talk about artificial brains
Our first live workshop on AI Basics!
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Ruqaiya
Ammi by day, Ammi by night
