AI for Language Learning: We Need More Than Algorithms

Once upon a time (1997 to be exact) I was a high school student in France: gifted in art and language classes, but a complete disaster in sports. 

A typical day at school included many extremes, along with a cast of characters worthy of a 90's sitcom:

The floppy-haired, grinch-faced PE teacher who yelled at me in front of the entire class - "C'EST MAUVAIS, RAFAELLA! MAUVAIS!" - he gave me a score of zero after an entire morning of me falling flat on my face, ripping my hands and knees apart on gravel turf during track and hurdle practice…

Jean-François, the school playboy, who - after I had ruined a volleyball game because I couldn't figure out how to hit the ball without the ball hitting me first - shouted at me from across the net, declaring in front of everyone that he was in love with me and demanding my hand in marriage at once... I had never spoken to him before and was mortified.

The sardonic history teacher who earned fame as the "Irate Irishman" as he regularly slammed his fist on the metal desk where he sat, yelled at students who snickered at him, and dragged them to the blackboard for public shame when he caught them passing notes in class.

I remember being yelled at a lot, and I remember feeling embarrassed often - hello, teenage years are the worst - but what I remember most are the classmates who came looking for me, to ask for help with their homework, or who wanted me to teach them how to do their makeup and hair.

Even students I didn’t know would come looking for me - why? 

Because word got around that I was friendly and kind. 

That I wasn't mean or judgmental. That I didn't roll my eyes or laugh (like the teachers did) when someone didn't understand English grammar.

That I was good at explaining complicated things in a way that made sense, that made homework a lot easier.

Word got around that I was good with colors, good with makeup, good at helping people feel better after a day of being bullied at school.

While the world has changed a lot since then, people have not.

The reason those students asked me for help was not because I knew more than the professors at the school. It was because I knew how to take all the information they gave us in class, and make it accessible and meaningful. 

The reason I am so passionate about AI is not because I think people need more information. Just like in my high school days, more information was rarely helpful when a student was struggling to learn. The WAY that information was presented was what made the difference. 

What we need is a dynamic, holistic approach to AI that puts people first and keeps users fully empowered; a process on the engineering side that takes into account not only vast amounts of data, but also the lived experience of students. Humans don't engage with just facts and figures. They engage with what makes them feel better about themselves, their dreams and their future.