Entrepreneur Ivan Crewkov from Siberia discovered the immense potential of AI in education after a failed attempt in the smart speaker market, inspired by his daughter's experience learning English. His children's English education AI company Buddy.ai recently raised $11 million in seed funding, led by BITKRAFT Ventures, as its AI technology and business model focused on addressing children's English learning challenges gained recognition from investors. Crewkov's entrepreneurial journey has been quite dramatic.

In today's rapidly advancing technology landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is infiltrating various aspects of our lives at an unprecedented speed. However, the application of this new technology in the field of education has sparked a controversy, and a case in Hingham, Massachusetts is a typical example. The protagonists of the incident are a senior student at Hingham High School. According to his mother, Jennifer Harris, her son used AI to gather research materials and create an outline while working on a group project with a classmate.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the Madrid Zoo Aquarium recently announced that a unique AI and synthetic biology-developed zookeeper, Irenia, has joined the giant panda support team, providing relevant information for the pandas 'Jinxi' and 'Zhuyu,' who arrived from China in April this year. Irenia is a digital persona that previously appeared on the zoo's TikTok channel, offering educational insights about giant pandas. It is now featured on a large screen behind the panda exhibit, providing real-time information to visitors.

Recently, Google announced it will invest $120 million to establish a new project called the 'Global AI Opportunity Fund,' aimed at promoting artificial intelligence education worldwide. This announcement was made by CEO Sundar Pichai at the first UN Future Summit held in New York. Pichai stated that the fund will collaborate with multiple nonprofit organizations to provide multilingual AI training, helping people in different countries enhance their AI capabilities in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.

OpenAI has made its latest AI models o1-preview and o1-mini available to all ChatGPT Enterprise and ChatGPT Edu customers. These models are designed to handle complex reasoning tasks and are expected to transform the way organizations and academic institutions tackle challenges, covering various fields from advanced programming to scientific research. The o1 models were first unveiled earlier this month, representing OpenAI's advancements in creating AI capable of deep multi-step reasoning.

Recently, Google.org announced an investment of over $25 million aimed at helping educators and students acquire essential AI skills, opening a door full of opportunities for them in this intelligent era. This substantial funding from the 'AI Opportunity Fund' is not just a number, but a testament to Google's commitment to educational equity. It will benefit over 500,000 educators and students, assisting them in navigating the challenges and opportunities brought by AI in the classroom. The experience of special education teacher Matthew Jones vividly illustrates this commitment.

Recently, Doubao, the educational application from ByteDance's AI smart assistant brand, completed a major upgrade. This app aims to be a smart partner for learners and a valuable assistant for family education, providing support for the new term's studies. 'Doubao Aixue' has introduced multiple auxiliary learning features, including answering questions, homework correction, knowledge Q&A, essay guidance, and mental calculation practice, to meet the diverse needs of family education.

Bilibili content creator 'Geek Bay' released a video on the AI homework writing robot 'Dream Weaver', sparking heated discussions online. This robot can automatically answer various academic questions using an AI large model, mimicking handwriting and even turning pages to flatten book pages, showcasing a 'humanized' design. After months of development, the tool was upgraded from version 1.0 to 2.0, featuring a CoreXY structure and advanced AI model, which enhanced its stability and accuracy. Although there is still room for improvement in its efficiency, it presents new possibilities to alleviate students' homework burdens. However, this invention has also raised concerns about the essence of education.

The discussion surrounding programming skills among university professors in India has garnered widespread attention. A study reveals that only 2.5% of Indian engineers possess AI skills, and just 5.5% have basic programming knowledge, raising concerns about the quality of education. Many engineers point out that professors lack adequate programming skills, relying on YouTube videos and online courses for teaching materials, which lack originality and depth. This issue is particularly evident in Tier-3 colleges, where professors often duplicate video content when teaching courses like computer networks. Income disparity is also a significant issue, as university professors' annual salaries...

During the themed event on 'The Deep Empowerment of AI Technology in Primary and Secondary Education', Li Ying, CEO of Baidu Xiao Du Technology, shared the latest developments in Xiao Du's education business. As of July 2024, the Xiao Du Learning Machine has surpassed 2 million cumulative users, with more than 50% being daily active users, indicating its popularity. The usage rate of AI teachers has increased by 3.5 times compared to traditional methods, with users spending an additional 25% time on the learning machine, totaling 114 minutes per day. Notably, during the immersive interactive preview section for Chinese language, the average usage time reached 22 minutes.

Tencent has recently launched an innovative educational assistance tool called 'AI Essay Guidance', aimed at helping students improve their writing skills. This feature is based on Tencent's Hunyuan model and is currently available for free on the QQ Browser.

Adobe has launched Adobe Express for Education, an AI-assisted platform designed for the educational sector, with new features aimed at providing safe and responsible AI tools for students and educators to enhance the learning experience. The platform includes a real-time assignment system, multimedia presentations, animation capabilities, and themed templates to encourage creative projects. It is free for K-12 teachers and students and compatible with various educational software. New AI features include template generation, image creation, and personalized coloring page tools, without AI text generation to protect students' privacy.

Adobe has launched a new AI tool platform designed specifically for education, called Adobe Express for Education, aimed at enhancing classroom learning and empowering students to take charge of their learning experiences. The platform is created for educators, leveraging Adobe Express technology, featuring collaboration, ease of use, and improved student engagement and communication skills. New features include real-time connections between teachers and students, enhanced multimedia presentations and animation capabilities, along with thousands of subject templates.

Tsinghua University will establish 100 pilot courses empowered by artificial intelligence to equip every 2024 freshman with an 'AI Growth Assistant.' The AI system can help teachers design courses, making the education industry a prime area for artificial intelligence implementation, and marking a new development stage for AI education.

Nanjing University has launched the first three-tiered core general education course plan in artificial intelligence for universities across the country, covering 1 compulsory course, X competency courses, and Y frontier extension courses for over 3,700 freshmen. This plan will apply to all undergraduate freshmen, and Nanjing University will establish the first AI course among national universities.

Arizona State University collaborates with OpenAI to apply AI technology in the field of education. The partnership focuses on enhancing student academic success, conducting innovative research, and optimizing organizational processes. Arizona State University plans to offer complete access to the ChatGPT enterprise version to all faculty and students starting in 2024.

Educational technology company NetEase Youdao unveiled the country's first educational large model 'Zi Yue' Version 2.0 at a launch event on January 3. The company also introduced three innovative applications developed based on the large model and a new smart hardware product. The most notable is the AI home tutor 'Little P Teacher', which provides students with question-and-answer support across all grades and subjects, and stimulates children's thinking through interactive communication. Youdao also launched the virtual oral English tutor Hi Echo 2.0 and Youdao Speed Reading, aimed at helping students improve their English speaking skills and quickly comprehend documents.

TAL Education focuses on mathematical scenarios and AI dialogue learning, launching MathGPT, the first large model specialized in mathematics in China. MathGPT provides detailed answers to mathematical problems, including analysis, detailed explanations, and key insights. The TAL Learning Machine becomes the core product implementing MathGPT, incorporating features such as AI dialogue learning and problem-solving assistance. AI dialogue learning locates students' weaknesses through multi-turn conversations and has received both positive feedback and some criticisms from parents. In the second quarter of 2023, the TAL Learning Machine shipped 90,000 units, ranking fourth in the domestic learning tablet market.

The Colombian Ministry of ICT will invest 10 billion Colombian pesos (approximately $25.2 million) to establish 300 artificial intelligence innovation centers, focusing on computation, gaming, and data technology. The first innovation center will be located in the municipality of Quinchía in the Risaralda department, aimed at enhancing local connectivity and advancing AI projects. This initiative is part of a computational education program promoted by ICT Minister Mauricio Lizcano, designed to strengthen artificial intelligence and computational capabilities across Colombia. The total investment is $250 million.