Education companies race to the AI market

Education companies, which have faced criticism about how slow they can be to adapt, are wasting no time with their embrace of artificial intelligence (AI).  Late last year, OpenAI’s ChatGPT took the industry by storm, growing at speeds that outpaced the initial growth of even popular social media platforms such as Instagram.  Since then, education companies have clamored to get AI-powered tools on their sites and products.  Brainly, a social learning platform, released a beta version of an AI helper named “Ginny” to its site on April 6. The chatbot is intended to “simplify” or “expand” the answers it gives students. “Brainly puts the student in control of how they want their questions answered,” Bill Salak, chief technology officer at Brainly, said in the Ginny launch announcement. “Our Learners are able to go deeper into the subject to understand further the topic they are struggling with or request a simplified response. We’re using the latest AI technology to create a more personalized learning experience for students worldwide, unlike searching for information on a search engine, where what you get is what you get.”  In March, the popular language-teaching app Duolingo introduced Duolingo Max, which also uses GPT-4 technology developed by OpenAI. The “new subscription tier above Super Duolingo” includes roleplay exercises, the company says. And Grammarly, which has been using AI for longer than most, plans to release later this month a new AI feature called GrammarlyGo, designed to help boost communications. “Grammarly is committed to using the most effective…Education companies race to the AI market