Researchers say AI will 'greatly impact' the future of education

Editor's note: This story led off this week's Future of Learning newsletter, which is delivered free to subscribers' inboxes every other Wednesday with trends and top stories about education innovation. Joanna Smith, founder of an ed-tech company that helps schools curb chronic absenteeism, was thinking about how to pivot her company to provide services in a remote learning setting as many brick and mortar schools transitioned online last year. In April 2020, her company, AllHere, launched several new features to battle problems exacerbated by Covid-19, including an Artificial Intelligence-powered two-way text messaging system, Chatbot, for kids who weren't showing up to class regularly. Chatbot allows teachers to check in with families and provides 24/7 individualized AI support for struggling students. Families can also log on to the platform to get confidential health care referrals or help with computer-related issues.