Khan academy redesigns AI tutor after most students ignored it

Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, said his AI tutoring chatbot Khanmigo has been redesigned after early versions failed to engage most students. In a July interview, Khan described how the tool now proactively reaches out to students who answer questions incorrectly, a shift from the original version that many students ignored.

From promise to reality

Khan first touted AI's potential in May 2023, calling it "probably the biggest positive transformation that education has ever seen." He developed Khanmigo after getting early access to ChatGPT and promoted the tool on "60 Minutes" and in his book "Brave New Words."

But the results fell short. In an April interview with Chalkbeat, Khan acknowledged that "for a lot of students," Khanmigo "was a non-event." Many "just don't use it much," he said.

How Khanmigo changed

The original Khanmigo was designed to be Socratic. It wouldn't give answers, just nudge students forward. Khan said that wasn't enough.

"Imagine I walk into a classroom and I say, 'Hey kids, my name is Sal. I think I'm a pretty good tutor. I'm just going to sit in the back of the room here, and if any of you have any questions, I'm happy to help you,'" Khan said. "Some of the