DAVOS — In the rapidly evolving world of technology, artificial intelligence stands at the forefront of the next educational revolution. At DAVOS 2024, a global summit that brings together some of the most innovative minds and influential leaders, we had the privilege of conversing with a young visionary reshaping the educational landscape. Quddus Pativada, the 20-year-old CEO and founder of ASI & AI Tutor, is a name resonating powerfully in the corridors of educational technology, particularly in the Middle East.
Based in the United Arab Emirates, Pativada has pioneered the integration of AI in education, striving to democratize learning experiences through technology. His company, ASI, has garnered attention for developing an AI-powered tutor, an ambitious project that aims to emulate the effectiveness of human tutors at a fraction of the cost. This initiative has not only attracted the interest of educational institutions but has also forged significant partnerships, including a notable collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Education.
His perspectives offer a glimpse into the future of education, where technology and human ingenuity converge to create unparalleled learning experiences.
Q: Could you tell us about the AI tutor project your company has been developing?
A: Three years ago, ASI began developing an AI tutor aimed at replicating the responsiveness of the best human tutors but at a fraction of the cost. The UAE Ministry of Education shared this vision with us, so we were able to collaborate with them late last year on a national AI tutor project. Today, ASI and the Ministry of Education are working together to deploy a national AI tutor to the entire student population of the UAE.
Three years ago, ASI began developing an AI tutor aimed at replicating the responsiveness of the best human tutors but at a fraction of the cost.
Quddus Pativada, CEO of ASI & AI Tutor
Q: Can you go into more detail about this tutor and what it entails?
A: The UAE AI tutor is built on ASI’s foundational technology, which includes large language models and personalized language models. It’s a conversational AI that offers students the value of a human tutor, aligning it with the national curriculum to make it as relevant and useful for the student as possible.
Q: And there’s this question about the content. Do you generate your own content, or do you use content from textbooks?
A: In our collaboration with the government, we’ve used content that is protected by the government’s intellectual property rights. We also have our in-house content team where we create content based on the learning frameworks provided by the government. So, we can take a learning framework and create hundreds of thousands of words of textbook pages, align them with the curriculum, get subject matter experts’ opinions on it, and still stay on the right side of copyright and ethical guidelines.
Q: There’s been a lot of concern about AI being used by students unfairly. How does your tutor avoid that?
A: That’s where our partnerships with the government become incredibly useful. We allow the AI to be used specifically for education, and it doesn’t respond to queries that aren’t education-related. With our narrow focus on enhancing students’ intelligence, we can adapt accordingly. Even if a student asks a question outside the educational scope, we can easily redirect it to something educational. Our focus remains narrow and dedicated to our mission of making students smarter.
Today, ASI and the Ministry of Education are working together to deploy a national AI tutor to the entire student population of the UAE.
Quddus Pativada, CEO of ASI & AI Tutor
Q: How does the AI ecosystem in the UAE compare with other parts of the world, like India, considering you are from India?
A: The UAE is definitely one of the best, if not the best. What they’re doing right now is fostering an open-source culture around AI. The progress in the country is being accelerated not just by the government but also by private sector companies like G42. We have a team in the UAE as well. The future of AI seems to be concentrated in countries that are open to progress and change, rather than just regulating it. The UAE is making the right moves in this area, and we’re very excited about our collaboration with them.
Q: What’s your next project? And before that, could you tell us about the scale of your AI tutorial option and its usage? Are you planning to expand beyond the UAE?
A: Beyond our first government contract in the UAE, we already have nearly a quarter million users across Africa, Europe, and North America. While focusing on expansion, the UAE and the Middle East remain our home base. The adoption of our technology has exceeded our expectations, thanks to our early involvement in the language model space.
Q: Are there any more government contracts in the pipeline?
A: We’re in discussions with several governments, but I can’t disclose specific names at this stage.
Q: Beyond the AI tutor, what other areas are you exploring?
A: Our core mission at ASI is to make education more equitable. We’re looking at different parts of the ecosystem as well. The AI tutor is student-facing; our next steps in the coming twelve months involve using the data we collect from the AI tutor to assist teachers as well. This includes helping them create accurate, personalized lesson plans for their classrooms and developing an operating system for governments to monitor student progress. Eventually, we aim to extend these insights to parents to enhance their involvement in their children’s education.
Q: Is your development team based in the UAE?
A: We have our development bases in the UAE, the US, and now even in Europe, with a significant portion of our research team based in Africa. We strive to maintain a global presence, gaining a range of perspectives, not just on technology, but also on critical concerns like biases, etc. So, yes, we have engineers and researchers around the world.
Our next steps… involve using the data we collect from the AI tutor to assist teachers as well.
Quddus Pativada, CEO of ASI & AI Tutor
Q: How has funding impacted your journey?
A: We’re fortunate to be backed by prominent investors like GSV, Mark Cuban, and Character. Their belief in our vision has been instrumental in our journey, and we’re committed to proving them right.
Q: Could you elaborate on your partnership with Microsoft?
A: Our agreement with Microsoft is vital, extending to collaborations in other nations as well. We leverage Microsoft’s infrastructure and data centers, and we’re excited about future joint projects. However, our primary focus remains on our mission, with partnerships being a key component.