Personalised online learning powered by generative AI

An AI-powered learning engine turns the tables on what we think of as Edtech

Spotted: From Duolingo to Unibody, Edtech is a crowded field, and getting more crowded every year. But most tools and platforms are focused on new content creation. Startup Kinnu, in contrast, starts by focusing on ways to help users to learn better.

The Kinnu app uses generative artificial intelligence (AI) in combination with human experts and community feedback to create its content. To start, human experts create the course outline or pathway. This is fed into Kinnu’s AI “Learning Engine”, which uses large language models to pick out the main ideas of a subject and devise relevant educational materials in different formats. It can also produce audio and video.

Once the pathways are published, members of the community can suggest changes, in a similar way to how Wikipedia works. The company is also developing a way to tell when someone has mastered the materials without having to take an exam. Similar to Duolingo, the idea is that learners will build a daily habit of learning new things.

Started in 2021, Kinnu claims to already have around 100,000 users. The company has recently raised $6.5 million (around €5.9 million) in a funding round led by LocalGlobe and Cavalry Ventures. The company had previously raised $2.4 million (around €2.2 million) in a pre-seed round.

AI holds the promise of supercharging the edtech space and making it even more responsive to the individual needs of different learners. Other innovations Springwise has spotted in the archive include an AI tool that makes it easy for students to take notes from videos and an app that teaches young people digital skills along with traditional topics.

Written By: Lisa Magloff