Although many pundits continue to say it can’t be done, AI tutors are being launched in Canada and around the world — and while the quality may vary, there is no denying their impact.
Google has now launched Gemini 2 Ultra, expanding on Gemini Advanced with deep integrations into Android and Workspace platforms. Contact North | Contact Nord’s free AI Tutor Pro and AI Teaching Assistant Pro personal digital assistants have been in operation for the past nine months. The Iowa Department of Education has rolled out an AI reading tutor program. Ottawa-based TutorOcean has launched TutorOcean Neo, an upgraded AI-human hybrid tutoring platform. Duolingo’s Max, powered by GPT-4, now features Max Conversations for extended dialogue practice. In China, Heeyo continues to develop as a children’s “interactive tutor and friend.” And in the workplace, coaching and mentoring tools like Piper, Bunch, and Lever are evolving rapidly.
With AI tools like Zapier, it is becoming both easier, faster and cheaper to develop dedicated chatbots trained on specific course material, supplemented by readings and web resources.
What do these AI tutors look like? What can they do? Are their core functions — keeping us organized, providing feedback, connecting us with community and getting to know us — equally useful?
Of course, AI tutors have their critics. Some say they harm learning. We’ll revisit this question at the end of this quick review.
AI to Keep Us Organized
Students accumulate vast amounts of content. AI tools like Voovo, RemNote, and Jungle AI still turn notes into spaced repetition exercises. Newer entrants like Mem AI and Reflect have also emerged, offering advanced personal knowledge management (PKM) capabilities. These tools extend beyond storage, providing bibliographic functions like tagging, pattern retrieval, and even emotional state tracking. Cohere has enhanced its writing prompt features using users' notes.
Google Notebook LM is a powerful resource, enabling the collection of resources in dedicated notebooks, podcasts created from these resources as well as mindmaps and detailed notes and quizzes – all generated in seconds.
Future AI tutors will not only retrieve information but engage in dialogue, helping users refine ideas and rehearse plans interactively.
A Critical Friend
AI is set to play a dominant role in formative assessment. Software developers increasingly rely on AI — recent surveys suggest 97% usage — for design and debugging, offering a highly interactive learning experience. Similar to apprenticeships, students learn in context with their AI partners.
New AI feedback systems are on the rise:
- LinkedIn’s AI provides personalized interview feedback.
- Duolingo and Grammarly continue enhancing writing and pronunciation feedback.
- Carnegie Mellon's MuFIN project now incorporates real-time multimodal feedback.
- Virtual coaching tools are integrating ear-EEG devices for deeper emotional and attentional monitoring.
Formative assessment now increasingly blends with emotional state recognition (AI is getting much better at social-emotional learning), adjusting instruction dynamically.
Feeling Connected
Humans’ need for connection remains strong. AI tools are not replacing tutors and instructors; rather, they are enhancing and complementing the work they do. Adaptive group formation AI tools, long used in MOOCs, are improving peer-to-peer connections. New studies suggest AI-enhanced learning communities foster more authentic social bonds.
Empathetic digital teaching assistants, now using large multimodal models (LMMs), are capable of interpreting facial expressions and vocal tones, further humanizing the online learning experience – now performing better than some human instructors.
The Tutor Keeps an Eye on You
AI tutors will know more about us than ever. They’ll monitor everything from learning progress to emotional states using wearables, smart rings, and even smart contact lenses. Advances in on-device AI and federated learning ensure much of this data stays private and secure.
Future AIs will predict learning goals and emotional triggers, providing personalized interventions for issues like math anxiety and attention loss. Technologies like emotion recognition and real-time biofeedback from ear-EEG devices are becoming commonplace.
Security remains critical. Newer “on-device AI” models and updated UNESCO Global AI Ethics Framework guidelines emphasize user control and privacy.
Changing the Social Contract
Public discomfort with AI assistants remains, but adoption is growing. Microsoft’s Recall, initially paused, has relaunched with improved privacy features. Students and developers continue leading adoption curves:
- 88% of students now report using generative AI tools.
- 97% of developers integrate AI into workflows.
Societal norms are evolving. The way Walkmans redefined public listening, AI avatars and agents will normalize participation in meetings and classes. Ethical frameworks like UNESCO’s updated guidelines are shaping how we negotiate these changes.
AI tutors are becoming more personable, engaging, and indispensable. It might be time for you to launch yours.
Updated Bibliography
- GPT-4 Turing Tests - https://arxiv.org/pdf/2407.08853
- Iowa AI Reading Tutor - https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/briefs/iowa-department-of-education-launches-ai-powered-reading-tutor-program/
- TutorOcean Neo Launch - https://corp.tutorocean.com/tutorocean-launches-ai-tutor-a-cutting-edge-hybrid-ai-human-tutoring-platform/
- Duolingo Max Conversations - https://blog.duolingo.com/duolingo-max/
- Heeyo Children's Tutor - https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/01/heeyo-built-an-ai-chatbot-to-be-a-billion-kids-interactive-tutor-and-friend/
- Federated Learning Overview - https://learn.deeplearning.ai/courses/introduction-to-on-device-ai/lesson/1/introduction
- Carnegie Mellon MuFIN Project - https://osf.io/preprints/edarxiv/3asxz
- Ear-EEG Emotional Monitoring - https://www.futurity.org/ear-eeg-earbuds-detect-drowsiness-3243842/
- Updated UNESCO AI Ethics Framework - https://www.unesco.org/en/days/artificial-intelligence-ethics
- AI Adoption Rates 2025 - https://venturebeat.com/ai/developers-embrace-ai-tools-but-face-big-code-challenges-survey-finds/
