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

The video introduces Khanmigo, an AI-powered tutor developed by Khan Academy and OpenAI, which is being tested in 266 U.S. school districts to assist teachers with lesson planning and provide personalized tutoring to students. While enhancing educational engagement and efficiency, Khanmigo is designed to support rather than replace teachers, allowing them to focus more on personal interactions with students.

The video introduces Khanmigo, an AI-powered online tutor developed by Khan Academy in collaboration with OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT. This innovative tool aims to transform education by assisting teachers in creating lesson plans and helping students learn more effectively. Currently, Khanmigo is being piloted in 266 school districts across the United States, targeting students from grades 3 through 12. The video takes viewers to Hobart High School in Indiana to demonstrate how Khanmigo is being utilized in a real classroom setting.

In the classroom, Khanmigo assists teachers like Melissa Higginson by generating detailed lesson plans in minutes, a task that would typically take a week. Students also have access to Khanmigo on their laptops, where it helps them with questions and encourages deeper understanding rather than just providing answers. The AI’s ability to engage students and prompt critical thinking is highlighted as a significant benefit, especially for those who may be hesitant to ask questions in class.

Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, envisions Khanmigo as a tool to provide personalized tutoring to all students, leveling the educational playing field. The collaboration with OpenAI allowed Khan Academy to integrate advanced AI technology into Khanmigo, which is designed to support both students and teachers. The AI helps teachers save time on lesson planning and progress report writing, while also offering insights into students’ learning processes.

The video also explores Khanmigo’s capabilities in detecting plagiarism and providing detailed feedback on student essays. This feature is particularly beneficial for teachers who face the challenge of providing timely and specific feedback to a large number of students. Additionally, the video showcases OpenAI’s new vision technology, which allows AI to interact with users through live video, further expanding the potential applications of AI in education.

Despite the impressive capabilities of Khanmigo, Sal Khan emphasizes that the AI is not intended to replace teachers but to enhance their ability to connect with students. He reassures educators that teaching, with its inherently human-centric nature, will remain a vital profession. The goal is to use AI to amplify teachers’ effectiveness, allowing them to focus more on personal interactions and understanding students’ needs. Khanmigo is expected to undergo further testing and development to ensure privacy and data security before being widely implemented.