article thumbnail

One of the World’s Best-Funded Edtech Companies Is Investing In AI Moonshots. Can It Work?

Edsurge

The Indian edtech giant Byju’s keeps getting bigger , having raised more than $4.5 Specifically, the company announced a new research-and-development hub, with offices in Silicon Valley, London and Bangalore, that will work on applying the latest findings from artificial intelligence and machine learning to new edtech products.

Company 214
article thumbnail

Who is the Theranos of Education?

Edsurge

In similar fashion, problematic edtech companies with grand visions and little follow-through don’t just affect the investors pouring funds into the space; they also potentially put learners into compromising situations. But, don’t worry—they had plenty to say about Knewton. But who was—or is—the Theranos of the education sector?

Knewton 218
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Hitting Reset, Knewton Tries New Strategy: Competing With Textbook Publishers

Edsurge

Knewton drew heaps of hype and investment by promising to provide artificial-intelligence technology to major textbook companies to make their content more adaptive. Kibby has big claims of his own, however, when it comes to how aggressively Knewton plans to compete with major textbook publishers. per month.

Knewton 115
article thumbnail

A Technologist Spent Years Building an AI Chatbot Tutor. He Decided It Can’t Be Done.

Edsurge

He’s a longtime edtech consultant and blogger, and in the past he wasn’t shy about calling out what he saw as excessive hype by companies selling edtech tools. In 2015, he famously criticized promises about what was then the latest in AI for education — a tool from a company called Knewton.

Knewton 214
article thumbnail

Amid Struggles, Knewton Names Former Pearson Exec as New CEO

Edsurge

Knewton pioneered adaptive-learning technology and amassed more than $157 million in venture capital, but lately the company has weathered through the loss of publishing partners and the departure of its outspoken founder. I said, if it’s Knewton, I’m very interested, but if it’s not Knewton, I’m not.”

Knewton 69
article thumbnail

Pearson, an Investor in Knewton, Is ‘Phasing Out’ Partnership on Adaptive Products

Edsurge

Throughout the past decade, Knewton ’s adaptive learning technology has been backed by some of the biggest names in the both the publishing and venture capital community. Pearson will no longer use Knewton’s adaptive learning engine for some of its digital offerings.

Knewton 79
article thumbnail

US Edtech Funding Already Nears $1 Billion in First Half of 2019

Edsurge

edtech companies in the first half of 2019. The high tally for venture funding this year is not unique to the edtech industry. edtech companies, but their counterparts overseas have also attracted plenty of venture capital. Last year, Pluralsight went public and was the first edtech company to do so since Instructure in 2015.

EdTech 145