The video features a conversation with Derek Hyung Lee from Squirrel AI at the World Economic Forum, focusing on the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. Lee discusses the global phenomenon of AI, highlighting how Chinese companies, aided by a strong mathematical tradition, are making significant strides in AI development and education. Squirrel AI, for instance, has developed a fully autonomous virtual tutor that aims to revolutionize how students learn by providing personalized, efficient education without human teachers.

This is an essential watch for those intrigued by the future of education technology and the global impact of AI. Lee provides insight into the unique environment in China, where there is rapid adoption of AI technologies and a relatively relaxed attitude towards privacy. He also touches on how AI is expected to shift the role of human teachers in the education system, suggesting that AI can offer better educational outcomes and provoke deeper thinking than traditional methods.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. phenomenon [fəˈnɒmɪnən] - (noun) - A remarkable or exceptional event or situation that is observed to exist or happen. - Synonyms: (event, occurrence, fact)

First, let's talk about AI as a global phenomenon.

2. subtle [ˈsʌtl] - (adjective) - Delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe. - Synonyms: (fine, delicate, understated)

And also all caught that Chinese people have much more subtle feeling.

3. efficacy [ˈɛfɪkəsi] - (noun) - The ability to produce a desired or intended result. - Synonyms: (effectiveness, efficiency, power)

Or maybe they will feel very hard in the future because AI could teach students by their own and with a more efficient way because we have a lot of efficacy

4. provocative [prəˈvɒkətɪv] - (adjective) - Causing discussion, thought, argument, etc. - Synonyms: (challenging, stimulating, controversial)

Some very provocative stuff.

5. autonomous [ɔːˈtɒnəməs] - (adjective) - Having the ability to govern itself or control its own affairs. - Synonyms: (independent, self-governing, self-ruling)

So it's kind of like level five autonomous driving.

6. commodity [kəˈmɒdəti] - (noun) - A basic good used in commerce that is interchangeable with other goods of the same type. - Synonyms: (product, merchandise, material)

Knowledge is a commodity.

7. provoke [prəˈvəʊk] - (verb) - To stimulate or give rise to a reaction or emotion in someone. - Synonyms: (incite, stimulate, arouse)

The score AI virtual tutor could provoke more thinking for the student.

8. rote [rəʊt] - (adjective) - Mechanical or habitual repetition of something to be learned. - Synonyms: (memorization, repetition, routine)

So what you're talking about is AI becoming the teacher of kind of the more the rote information.

9. venture [ˈventʃər] - (noun) - A risky or daring journey or undertaking. - Synonyms: (enterprise, project, endeavor)

Yeah, yeah. So we want to help the kids to crack the difficulties in their learning.

10. rescue [ˈreskjuː] - (verb) - To save someone or something from a dangerous or distressing situation. - Synonyms: (save, retrieve, free)

So I think all of us should think of how to deal with that, how to rescue the people.

Squirrel Ai Learning Founder Talks Revolutionizing K-12 Education For Millions Of Students

Randall Lane, we're here back at Davos, the World Economic Forum. We're at Imagination in Action talking about AI all day. And we have Derek Hyung Lee from Squirrel, which just Squirrel learning just off stage. I will say, Derek, the crowd was very interested, intrigued when we pointed out that you were the only speaker from China. And the moderator asked, should China be about conversation? The entire room raised their hand.

First, let's talk about AI as a global phenomenon. Everybody seems to be talking about it like, oh, this country can regulate it, that country can regulate it. I don't think enough of people are appreciating just the global nature of the technology. Maybe you could impart wisdom there. Okay. I think because Chinese have a very good tradition of learning math very hard. So I think the Chinese people are very good at AI and the hard technologies. And also all caught that Chinese people have much more subtle feeling. So we could detect what the consumers, their needs, their feelings so we can perfect the product better and better.

So recent years, actually the Chinese companies go international more and more and better and better. It's not like bat time, they just copy from us. And now the Chinese company have more innovation and like Score AI, we have more than 100 patent already acquired and we in some way lead the new technology and new product function of AI education. So that I became the chair of the AI education ieee. So I think it's more and more opportunity and everybody are international.

Now is is China feeling like you walk around here and you see especially with the Americans, some Europeans, just AI, you know, in the tech community, it's just an absolute fever right now. Is that same way in China? Yeah, in China I think everybody accept AI very quickly. And Chinese people are not care so much about the privacy than us and Europe. So the users gave a lot of allowance for the companies so that we could train the model very well and benefit more for the public. For example, we donate the account for the 20% poorest families so that I think AI could do a lot of good. And in China, I think it's like the high speed train. The AI's going much faster.

Yes, yes, it's the high speed train right now certainly where all the tech investing is. All right, so tell us specifically what Squirrel AI learning does. You mention, of course, China being very open to innovations and also famously being open to rethinking the education system. So what does squirrel do first? Where did the name Squirrel come from? Oh, Squirrel is one of the top 10 smartest animals. I did not know that. You did not know that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And also school could crack the hardest nuts. Yeah, yeah. So we want to help the kids to crack the difficulties in their learning.

And we have a lot of poor kids who, who are not good at learning to become very fast learners and we, we do it. So tell us what it does. Yeah, yeah. We build a virtual AI teacher that interact directly with students without any other teacher's instruction. So it's kind of like level five autonomous driving Most other AI education companies they building AI tool for the school teachers. So it's like level two, level five technology. So now we are the only one who do the fully virtual tutorial. And we have 24 million students already. And our annual Kanban growth in the past three years are more than 100%.

Wow. Now is it meant to be a supplement to teachers like your own private tutor? Or is the idea you evolved that it becomes a teacher? I think it's the primary teacher. I think teacher's role will change dramatically in the future 10 years teaching knowledge and teaching fundamental textbooks are not important for them. They have to change into data analyst. Or maybe they will feel very hard in the future because AI could teach students by their own and with a more efficient way because we have a lot of efficacy. Studies show that students could learn 30% much better result than the best human teachers.

So what you're talking about is AI becoming the teacher of kind of the more the rote information where the teacher then is teaching people how to think or how to be a human. Yeah. Actually the score AI virtual tutor could provoke more thinking for the student. It's better than teacher. It's like the like Da Vinci plus Einstein plus every supermasters together with the kids. I think if a kid learn with AI Supermaster from like 3 years old, everybody could be 10 times smarter than we are.

Yes. Well, you mentioned on stage just now on the big stage how you were arguing that humans brains just like our bodies, we're not all working in the fields anymore or in the factories, that we're all as knowledge workers that humans have gotten weaker. You made a very, you know, it was a very strong comment that got the room buzzing about humans brains shrinking because AI is doing a lot of thinking. Tell us more about that. I think 90% of the human brain will shrink because before all the technology make the product that to replace all the human bodywork. But in the future, in 20 or 50 years, AI will replace all the humans brain work.

Yes. So what humans do. Yeah, we do not need wisdom actually, but we need brain gym to train our brain or we will be idiot actually, but I think I built school. AI is with the spirit that knowledge is not important because knowledge is everywhere and we can get it. Knowledge is a commodity. Presumably how to think is the value added, right? Yeah, yeah. So how to think, how to, you know, the learning ability, learning new things. So I, I think we have to change dramatically our education system because kids are already using ChatGPT to, to. To do the homework. It's kind of like when you go to the sport, you just use all kinds of, you know, choose to help you. That's not right. When you want to train the kids run, you will not want them to ride a bicycle or car.

Right. So we have to train the kids how to run, how to jump, how to do things. So it should be a big issue, but nobody noticed that. That's a big look in the future. All right, last question. Where do you see both squirrel and AI in general a year from now? How fast is this all moving? We are entering the international market and I think the speed will be very, very sharp. For example, our growth curve in the past four years is like this. The AI makes sense.

How many customers do you have now? Revenue? Give us a metric. Oh yeah, yeah. We have 24 million customers and more than 1 million paid customers. And last year we have 3 billion RMB revenue. And also I think there's kind of like a big danger that people do not aware of that. For example, like you asked me if we can do the teaching all along without a teacher. And also I think that job loss in teacher, in lawyers, in doctors and in all of the other careers that AI may replace in 10 years is coming faster and faster.

It's like five years before when AlphaGo came. We are just like talking jokes about this. But recently with large model and the technique and the AI company in different industry, I think it's coming very soon. So I think all of us should think of how to deal with that, how to rescue the people, to make the teacher became like they can give emotion, comfort to the kids. They can analyze the data. They have to change from carrier driver to airplane pilot.

Yes. All right. That's a view from the future. Some very provocative stuff. Thank you, Derek. Good luck. Good luck with everything you're doing. Thank you. Thank you.

INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION, AI EDUCATION, CHINA, DEREK HYUNG LEE, FORBES