The rise of AI-powered homework apps is changing the way students study, posing a major challenge to existing tutoring franchises like Kumon. AI tutors can do homework for students, but they don’t learn anything. An even bigger problem is China’s dominance of the market.
TechCrunch Reports In recent years, AI tutors have started to emerge in education. These apps, such as Answer AI and Gauth, leverage the power of large-scale language models like ChatGPT to provide personalized assistance to students in a wide range of subjects, from calculus to history. The convenience and affordability of these AI-driven solutions are attracting students who previously turned to expensive private tutors or time-consuming YouTube tutorials.
Evan, a high school sophomore from Houston, epitomizes the transition to AI tutoring. Subscribing to Answer AI has helped him effortlessly tackle his senior year math homework and saved him a significant amount of money compared to his previous $60-an-hour private tutoring. “The hourly rate for tutoring is roughly the same as the annual subscription fee for Answer AI,” Evan explains. “So, I don’t do a lot of homework anymore. [in-person] “I’m a tutor.”
The rise of AI tutors is not without challenges. Like other apps that rely on large language models, AI tutors can sometimes generate incorrect answers or suffer from hallucinations. To mitigate these issues, apps like Answer AI employ techniques like search augmentation generation (RAG) to fine-tune the AI with domain-specific knowledge. Still, some students, like Evan, take precautions to ensure accuracy by cross-checking results with multiple AI tools and collaborating with peers.
The bigger issue is China’s dominance in the sector, as TechCrunch explains:
As of May, the two most popular AI helpers in the U.S. are both owned by Chinese companies: 1-year-old Question AI is the brainchild of the founders of Zuoyebang, a popular Chinese homework app. Raised approximately $3 billion in equity In the past decade, Gaut has Launched by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance 2019According to data from market research firm SensorTower, Question AI has been downloaded 6 million times in the U.S. since its launch on Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store, while rival app Gauth (both of which were published in the U.S. by Singaporean companies, a tactic often used by Chinese tech companies in the U.S.) Increasing scrutiny from Western countries.
The success of Chinese homework apps comes as a result of intensive efforts to target the American market in recent years. China imposes rules The government enacted the law to crack down on the burgeoning tutoring sector, which focuses on the domestic public school curriculum. Since then, many service providers, including brick-and-mortar tutoring centers and online learning apps, have pivoted to overseas users. Not surprisingly, the United States, given its sheer size, has become their most coveted international market.
As AI tutors grow in popularity, educators are struggling with how to incorporate the technology into the learning process. Some public school districts have banned access to ChatGPT on school devices, but it’s difficult to ban generative AI outright once students leave school grounds. Instead, experts suggest educating students about AI’s role as an imperfect assistant that requires critical thinking and fact-checking.
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering free speech and online censorship.
