[INTERVIEW] TmaxRG's 'AI tutor' aims to fix education inequality

Industry

[INTERVIEW] TmaxRG's 'AI tutor' aims to fix education inequality

Published: 20 Nov. 2023, 08:46

SARAH CHEA
chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr

Choi Sung-ki, CEO of TmaxRG, poses for a photo after a recent interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily in the company's headquarters in Bundang, Gyeonggi. [PARK SANG-MOON]

A gap in knowledge eventually leads to income inequality, a recipe for cycles where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Choi Sung-ki, CEO of education technology company TmaxRG, hopes to stand up against such dynamics by mixing AI into the scene.

“Gaps in knowledge are the biggest contributor to the income imbalance,” said Choi. “TmaxRG hopes to make a world where no one gives up on their dream, or even the opportunity to achieve it, just because of their poverty.”

Under the government’s latest focus on digitalizing education, TmaxRG is currently developing a digital textbook, which comes with an AI tutor, that can educate students based on their knowledge level. The digital textbook will have to be evaluated next year to be used in public as early as 2025.

The Korea JoongAng Daily recently sat down with Choi at the company’s headquarters in Bundang, Gyeonggi, to discuss the company’s expansion strategy, opportunities and risks.

Before joining TmaxRG, Choi made his name in the education scene through stints at Visang Education and i-Scream Edu. He graduated from Sogang University with a major in electronic engineering.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. AI applies to so many fields. What brought you to jump into the education area?
Students from low-income families have the passion and will to learn. A gap in information leads to a gap in knowledge, which eventually means that an imbalance in education level leads to an imbalance in income. With the unceasing development of technology, AI is able to play a key role in reducing that gap by offering students a specialized education depending on their talents. In this way, students won’t have to waste time and can instead focus on what they are good at starting at an early age.

What exactly are the AI textbook and AI tutor that your company is offering?
A student who gets an A+ in Algebra and one who gets a D- cannot be educated together in the same classroom. Also, although two students get the same grade on a test, the questions they got wrong vary. Students have their own weaknesses, and education should be given based on their weaknesses — which is nearly impossible with current public education where a teacher gives a lecture to some 30 students simultaneously.

Our digital textbook aims to solve that by allowing each student to have their own AI tutor. We call it an AI tutor as it answers questions that students have in real time. It also thoroughly analyzes students’ learning habits and their understanding. When a student asks a question, it takes a hint on what stage the student is in and offers education based on their weakness and level.

So, is it a replacement for a teacher?
No. It cannot be a replacement, but it can be an assistant to a teacher. The AI tutor sends information and data about the student to teachers so that they can more efficiently monitor the status of the students.

In fewer than 30 years, Korea will have an inverted population pyramid where the young must feed tens of elderly. And we do need to increase productivity and create additional value — which means every youth must earn much more than now. For that, they must be educated based on their own strengths. Figuring out what they are good at is the most important factor in order for the country to not lose its competitiveness. I believe this is where AI can help.

Choi Sung-ki, CEO of TmaxRG, talks about his vision during a recent interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily held at the company's headquarters in Bundang, Gyeonggi. [PARK SANG-MOON]

How far along is the development process?
We are in the process of developing an AI mathematics textbook in cooperation with textbook maker MiraeN. The subject is for the third and fourth grades of elementary school, first grade of middle school, and first grade of high school for now.

The AI textbook then will be evaluated by the Education Ministry in the second half of next year. If approved, it will be distributed to students in the first semester of 2025.

As AI seeps deep into the education scene, some critics worry about side effects such as excessive indulgence. What do you think about their criticism?
I believe they worry more about excessive indulgence on a device itself, not the content it is offering. Our AI tutor also gives advice to prevent students from using the device excessively. It tells students to take a break or take a walk outside if the student listens to the lecture or uses the textbook for quite a long time.

Do you have any plans for offering the service in different languages or overseas?
Of course. We do have plans, and we are aware that demand exists. Korea now has many students from multinational families, and offering the service in various languages is now a must.

What does the future education scene look like?
It may sound ambitious, but I dream of a future where no student gives up on their dream just because they have not enough money. How great the technology is is not that important. How to use that technology is what we pursue and value.

I believe ignorance is the reason for every single problem existing in the world. This also means that if we solve the ignorance problem, many problems will be solved and peace will come. I’d like to contribute to the peace with our technology in education.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]