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,…
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn South Korea once aimed for an AI-driven education revolution, but that vision has stumbled amid controversy, politics, and skepticism. Former President Yoon Suk-yeol and Education Minister Lee Juho promised that AI-supported digital textbooks would transform classrooms, personalizing lessons in math, English, and computer science. The technology was meant to reduce…
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn As educators begin to acknowledge that AI is not going away, they are looking for ways to incorporate AI as a study tool rather than just a way to find answers. An article on Ars Technica describes a new ChatGPT feature called study mode: Study Mode isn’t a new ChatGPT…
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn A new report from Common Sense Media looks at how American teens ages 13 to 17 are engaging with AI companions, based on a nationally representative survey of 1,060 teens conducted in April and May 2025. Notably, a third of teens reported using AI companions for social interaction and relationship support. Source:…
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn In a provocative column from The New York Times (July 3, 2025), David Brooks highlights the growing cognitive risks of over-relying on AI tools for thinking and writing. Citing new research by M.I.T.’s Nataliya Kosmyna, Brooks explores how students who used large language models (LLMs) to generate essays retained less knowledge, showed…
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn In an era where free AI tools like ChatGPT tempt students to shortcut genuine learning, BrainStream stands apart by turning AI from a threat into an accountability ally. Unlike generic AI tutors that freely roam the internet for answers, BrainStream restricts itself to your school’s chosen course materials—ensuring students truly…
by Chief Financial Officer Chia-Hua (Phyllis) Chen As AI continues to reshape the educational landscape, user acquisition and retention have become the new strategic battlegrounds for AI-driven EdTech startups. In 2025, the average customer acquisition cost (CAC) for education platforms has surged by 19% YoY, now averaging $42 per user. This uptick is largely due…
Based on Bauer et al., “Looking Beyond the Hype: Understanding the Effects of AI on Learning” (2025) As AI technologies rapidly reshape classrooms, a recent reflection by Bauer et al. (2025) in Educational Psychology Review urges educators and policymakers to temper excitement with empirical scrutiny. The paper introduces the ISAR model—Inversion, Substitution, Augmentation, Redefinition—to help categorize how…
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn AI is revolutionizing the way students engage with specific texts—whether it’s a Shakespearean play, a history textbook, or a science manual. Unlike generic study aids, AI-powered tools can guide learners through the entire content of a particular text, offering a personalized and structured path to mastery. These tools break the…
A recent preprint titled Pedagogical Biases in AI-Powered Educational Tools: The Case of Lesson Plan Generators critically examines how AI-driven platforms like MagicSchool, SchoolAI, and GPT-4 generate lesson plans that often reinforce outdated, teacher-centered pedagogies. Analyzing 90 AI-generated lesson plans, the study found a consistent pattern: these tools tend to produce structured, predictable lessons that prioritize…
