Here’s an interesting announcement that came across my feeds. After the public launch of the world’s first digital human teacher in August 2023, Otermans Institute (OI) has taken a bold step in transforming the educational landscape as its AI-powered teachers are now teaching an entire 9-lesson course in universities and institutions across 4 continents.
Their AI teachers not only teach and test the learners, but also create the course content. The new approach entails a paradigm shift in the very essence of teaching and learning.
Thanks to the OIAI technology – the fine-tuned language model developed by the same organisation – they say virtual and digital education can now transcend the limitations of traditional one-directional instruction and become a dynamic, two-way conversation between students and their AI teachers.
Arab American University (Palestine), Bahria University (Pakistan), Ibn Haldun University (Turkey), Catholic University of Eastern Africa (Kenya) and Universidad de Las Américas (Chile), have become the latest pioneers to join this educational revolution, setting a precedent for other institutions worldwide.
Otermans Institute founders, Dr Pauldy Otermans and Dev Aditya said, “we will be expanding our AI-powered teaching capabilities to 40 universities by September 2024. Additionally, we are also conducting trials on how OIAI can be embedded into existing digital learning platforms.”
With over 80% of students completing the OIAI course since November 2023, and a learner satisfaction rate of 94%, OIAI’s impact on digital education is promising.
So far, OI has supported over 35,000 learners, working with governments and UN bodies in 13 countries to provide training and education using AI technology and bringing professional development skills to the most deprived areas.
Currently, Otermans Institute deployed their AI teachers to support the Women in STEAM Initiative in Kenya and Zambia. “Africa is hungry for the emerging technologies and there’s no reason why Africans should be left behind in this fast paced 21st-century economy. As the founder of Women in STEAM initiative and partnering with Otermans Institute we have exposed educators and students to AI teachers, and this has been one rewarding experience. We look forward to continuing impacting more African educators to embrace the emerging technologies such as AI.” said Caroline Nyaga.
The digital human teachers developed by Otermans Institute possess a human-like appearance and voice, allowing them to seamlessly interact with students using voice and text inputs. Co-founder Dev Aditya said, “through conversations with the students, our AI teachers can then tailor their lessons to individual student needs, providing real-time responses to questions and delivering personalised feedback”.
