Category: AI
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Shaping the Future of Learning with AI
by Chief Operating Officer Tzu-Ying (Kimberley) Chen Last month, the Government of Canada launched its AI Strategy Task Force and a national consultation to shape the future of artificial intelligence. (Source: Government of Canada) Among the priorities, education and skills development stand out — a vision that speaks directly to us at BrainStream, where our…
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Marketing Isn’t a Cost, It’s a Lever
by BrainStream Chief Marketing Officer Ya-Hui (Laura) Kao Playing the Long Game vs. Chasing Short Wins Marketing is often seen as a line item to trim when budgets are tight. “What’s the ROI?” is a fair question — but too often, the timeline behind that question is too short. In reality, marketing is not just…
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Scaling Wisely: When Speed Stops Being a Strategy
by Chief Financial Officer Chia-Hua (Phyllis) Chen Last time, I talked about the growth mirage—when impressive metrics hide unsustainable costs. This time, let’s talk about another illusion: the illusion of speed. In startups, speed is celebrated. “Move fast and break things” sounds heroic—but in AI EdTech, moving fast without reflection often means breaking trust. Every model retrain…
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Teaching Students to See What They Don’t Know
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn How BrainStream Will Take “Study Mode” Further OpenAI’s recent video introducing ChatGPT’s Study Mode highlights an important truth: effective learning isn’t just about finding the right answer — it’s about recognizing what you don’t yet understand. In a youtube video, Justin Sung, a professional education coach, makes a crucial point: even the best adaptive…
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Empowering Every Student with Smarter, Fairer, and Faster Learning
by Chief Operating Officer Tzu-Ying (Kimberley) Chen At BrainStream, we believe education should be as dynamic and adaptive as the learners it serves. Our mission is simple yet powerful: to ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn with confidence, at their own pace, and with the right support. Artificial Intelligence allows us to…
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BrainStream Applies Cognitive Science
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn In an article in The Conversation, Brian W. Stone, Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Boise State University reminds us that rigor, effort, and struggle are essential to real learning. As Brian Stone argues, when AI tools allow students to offload thinking—to skip the hard work—skills may atrophy, and students…
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B.C.’s Tax Credit Boost Supports AI-Driven Learning
by BrainStream Chief Marketing Officer Ya-Hui (Laura) Kao In my last post, I explored AI in content marketing. Today, I’d like to share news that’s highly relevant to our industry: the B.C. government will increase the Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (IDMTC) from 17.5% to 25%, effective September 2025, and make it permanent. This is…
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Scaling Wisely: The Growth Mirage in AI EdTech
by Chief Financial Officer Chia-Hua (Phyllis) Chen Last month I talked about the infrastructure cost trap. Since then, I’ve had more conversations with early-stage AI EdTech founders, and another theme keeps coming up. It’s what I call the growth mirage. Here’s the scene: a founder is thrilled because their DAU and MAU are climbing fast. The…
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AI in Education: 3 Key Challenges and Practical Solutions
by Chief Operating Officer Tzu-Ying (Kimberley) Chen Working at the intersection of technology and education means facing both excitement and complexity. AI has the potential to make learning more personalized, accessible, and engaging — but turning that vision into reality isn’t without challenges. Over time, three issues tend to appear again and again, and they…
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The Limits of Blue Books: A Smarter Way Forward
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn In a recent New York Times opinion piece, Clay Shirky outlines the challenges universities face as generative AI reshapes academic work. Traditional safeguards against plagiarism no longer suffice; students can critique AI output with AI itself, and detectors remain unreliable. To preserve learning, Shirky suggests reviving older practices: in-class blue book exams,…