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How AI Can (Actually) Transform Education: Key Takeaways from Sal Khan & Kartik Hosanagar
In the premiere episode of Creative Intelligence, host Kartik Hosanagar, Faculty Co-Director of Wharton Human-AI Research, sits down with Sal Khan, Founder and CEO of Khan Academy, for a wide-ranging conversation on how AI is already reshaping education — and where it could go next. Here are the key insights from their conversation.
1. AI as a Tutor, Not a Crutch
Sal Khan sees the most promising application of AI in education as one-to-one Socratic tutoring — giving every learner the equivalent of an Aristotle. Tools like Khanmigo can guide students through problems, ask thoughtful questions, and offer hints without simply giving answers, helping them engage in “productive struggle.” But the key is how the AI is used: when it becomes a shortcut rather than a coach, learning outcomes can drop.
“Technology amplifies intent,” Sal notes. “That can be positive, or it can enable lazy habits. The design of the tool matters.”
2. Rethinking Assessment
Traditional assessments don’t reflect how students actually learn. AI opens the door to interactive, process-based evaluations. Instead of just grading a final essay, teachers could see a student’s full brainstorming, outlining, and drafting journey — giving deeper insight into what’s working (or not).
“Imagine an AI that observes classroom engagement and gives daily feedback. That’s no longer science fiction — it’s already starting to happen,” Sal says.
3. Equity & Access: Why Khan Academy Stayed Nonprofit
Despite pressure to monetize early on, Sal resisted putting Khan Academy content behind a paywall. He envisioned the platform as a public-good institution — the “digital Oxford” of the 21st century — committed to free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.
According to Sal, “Even the titans of for-profits seldom keep their mission for more than a generation. But nonprofits can last centuries.”
4. Preparing Students for the Future of Work
With AI poised to automate many content skills — like coding, writing, and arithmetic — the most valuable traits may be human-centered: communication, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. Sal believes AI can help assess these qualities too, giving people new ways to signal their strengths regardless of degrees or credentials.
“The most valuable traits may be the most human ones: communication, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking,” he notes.
5. We Still Have Agency
While acknowledging risks like overreliance, cheating, and hallucinations, both Sal and Kartik agree: this is an opportunity to redesign education for the better. That means rethinking not just tools, but systems — assessments, credentials, classroom roles, and beyond.
“We have no choice but to be optimistic,” Sal says. “If we lean in with good intent, the future of education can be more equitable, more human, and more effective.”
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