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Last month, a highly-promoted AI chatbot in the nation’s second-largest school district was suddenly shut down. 

Only a few months before, officials in the district — Los Angeles Unified — had publicized the chatbot, called “Ed,” as a breakthrough tool that would tailor learning to its hundreds of thousands of K-12 students while keeping them engaged. 

But the company it selected to build the chatbot, AllHere Education, has seemingly deflated. Despite millions in venture capital backing and contracts — the LA contract alone was worth $6 million over five years — AllHere quietly furloughed most of its employees last month, blaming financial difficulties. That left district officials unable to use the chatbot tool, which required human moderation from AllHere.

What happened? 

Not all the factors are currently known. The company has been tight-lipped. But a lot of the trouble may have come from the strain of handling student data.

There are lessons for others looking to use AI in education, as we dig into in an article on EdSurge this week. 

The key takeaway is that it's harder than many people realize to integrate data for large AI projects.

Ed’s collapse has also raised questions about whether the student data being stored in the chatbot is secure. Data security has proven a thorny issue for K-12 schools and the vendors that work with them. These have become prime targets for hackers. One relatively recent data breach even led to information from LAUSD being sold on the dark web. 

Despite all the questions, district leaders in Los Angeles say they plan to try to find a new vendor to get the Ed chatbot up and running again. At least that’s what Anthony Carvalho, the district’s superintendent, told the Los Angeles Times last week, noting that he’s committed to rolling out the AI platform to all schools there.

📰 HEADLINES

OPT OUT OR OPT IN: There’s a new battle raging in the long-running war over costly college textbooks, one that may strike a serious blow to the textbook subscription programs promoted by publishers and criticized by student advocates. Here’s how a possible proposed federal rule change could shake up “inclusive access” programs that have spread to many colleges.

EMPTY CHAIRS: Experts argue that relationships are the key to pulling absent students back into the classroom. But how does missing so much school shape those relationships? When students miss classes often, their teachers begin to think of them as less capable in math and language and less committed to learning, according to a new study.

📢 DEALS

Skild AI, an AI company that’s trying to build “robot brains,” raised $300 million in funding.

Duolingo, the language learning app, acquired the animation studio Hobbes. The amount was not disclosed. 

Indian edtech firm Byju’s started the bankruptcy process.

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🎧 ON THE PODCAST

WHO SHOULD GET IN?: What a debate about the admissions process at one of the best public high schools in the country says about who should get what in education. This first ran in 2021.

🏃 MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Pearson named Dave Treat as chief technology officer.

Jagnoor Singh is reportedly stepping down from his role as chief operating officer of the edtech “unicorn” Unacademy.

👀 ALSO ON OUR RADAR

AI textbooks are here, and 70,000 students are using them. (Fortune)

If it works, Coursera’s AI experiment could spread a new approach to academic integrity. (On EdTech)

The Biden Administration has announced a $244 million investment into an apprenticeship system that could become an alternative to college. (MarketWatch)

For the first time, federal regulators banned a messaging app from offering its service to minors. (The Washington Post)

Does the internet need to preserve “human-only” spaces? (Prospect)

Looking for a new job? EdSurge has the leading jobs board in the industry.

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Account Manager - Field Sales | Institute for Multi Sensory Education | Multiple or Remote

IMSE is looking for dynamic individuals who thrive in a fast-past environment to fulfill Account Manager - Field Sales positions. This role will manage a specified territory and provide schools and districts with expert sales guidance on IMSE’s portfolio of products and services.

Director, Field Implementation Team | JFF | Remote

In this role, you will be a key project leader supporting JFF’s strategy for the Workforce and Regional Economies (WRE) Practice portfolio of work and the Center for Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning (CAWBL) portfolio of work.

Regional Sales Manager | IXL Learning | Remote

IXL Learning, developer of personalized learning products used by millions of people globally, is seeking a remote Regional Sales Manager to join our sales leadership team for our Northwest US and Canada regions.

CMO (VP Marketing) | Avela | Multiple or Remote

Avela is looking for an entrepreneurial marketing leader who can help build our brand, drive leads, support sales, and grow our business!

Partner Success | Edthena | San Francisco, California or Remote

Edthena is looking for customer success teammate. Join an org focused on teacher professional development. Help us scale our new AI Coach platform.

Events

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EdLeader21 Network Annual Event | October 21 - 23 | Denver, CO

EdLeader21 Annual Event by Battelle for Kids is an engaging and inspiring experience exclusively for network member districts to accelerate future-ready learning for every student in the only national network dedicated to Portrait of a Graduate.

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