The most recent edition of the Chancellor’s Colloquium Distinguished Speaker Series was appropriately held online. Chancellor Gary S. May spoke with Khan Academy founder and CEO, Sal Khan, an online educator who has become a leading voice in discussions about how artificial intelligence should be used in education.

Khan is the author of Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That's a Good Thing) published in 2024. He holds three degrees from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

In his introductory remarks, Chancellor May noted that “Sal is at the forefront of the AI revolution, developing on-demand support systems for the next generation of students.”

In an upbeat conversation with Chancellor May, Khan detailed how his interest in education began through a personal favor to his then 12-year-old cousin, acting as her remote math tutor. Khan developed software and videos to tutor his cousin, who went from a struggling student to an advanced math track. Khan soon became his extended family’s tutor.

“They weren’t struggling because they weren't bright or hardworking or didn’t have access to great teachers. They just had gaps in their learning,” Khan told Chancellor May. “The best way to address gaps is by maybe having one-on-one tutoring.”

This combination of software and supplemental videos fueled what would become the nonprofit, Khan Academy, founded in 2008 with the mission of providing “free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere.” 

Future of education, AI

Attendees were asked to submit questions in advance of the free, virtual event, which ranged from how universities and students can prepare for AI in and outside of the classroom, the threats AI potentially poses to the arts and critical thinking skills and anything Khan would have done differently with Khan Academy.

Khan emphasized how education needs to be “mastery-based” for learners to be successful who have “agency over themselves and curiosity.” He is concerned this capacity gets lost in traditional educational formats.

“I am worried that, in this traditional factory model of education, a negative side effect is that you move lock-step, you accumulate some [learning] gaps and sometimes people check out to protect their self-esteem,” Khan explained, “and once they check out and become passive, that becomes very debilitating.”

Khan noted how the “silver lining” of AI is that it is forcing educators and students alike to question what is or isn’t necessary in traditional education models, with Khan citing the number of years necessary for a degree and certain general education requirements as examples. Still, Khan emphasized the role of educators to complement online resources like Khan Academy or YouTube.

“You need to have context in which the students are being engaged and held accountable, and that’s where that teacher-driven classroom, especially for K-12, is super important,” Khan said, who disagrees with the notion that “technology is going to be a silver bullet” for all students. “That motivation, that social connection, the mentorship from amazing teachers and peers, I think, will be hard to replace.”

Learn more about Khan’s thoughts on the future of AI in the workforce, advice for college students and more by watching his full conversation with Chancellor May above.