New Program Seeks to Provide Every Israeli Child With a Private AI Tutor

The best education a child can receive is one that’s personalized and tailored specifically to their unique needs and level. When children receive support, they’re more likely to stay engaged in the learning process and reach their full potential.

Now, Israel is taking an exciting step toward making this vision a reality through AI-powered technology, according to The Jerusalem Post. It’s all part of a pilot program that aims to eventually provide students across the country with private AI tutors.

The initiative is the result of a partnership between eSelf, a tech company that provides customizable AI avatars, and the Center for Educational Technology, Israel’s largest textbook publisher for K-12 students.

A Unique Partnership
This partnership could make Israel the first country to provide AI-driven tutoring on a national scale. This isn’t Israel’s first attempt to bring AI to students, Ynet reported. While a previous separate initiative by the education ministry faced challenges, due to the open-ended nature of AI conversations, Dr. Alan Becker, the CEO of eSelf, says the new approach is designed to meet students’ needs. “eSelf was built from the ground up to be a focused, task-oriented private tutor,” Becker told Ynet.

Harvard University has been recruited to supervise the rollout and act as an academic advisor. Victor Pereria, faculty and co-chair of the Teaching and Teaching Leadership program at Harvard University shared with The Jerusalem Post his excitement over the initiative’s potential, calling the partnership an “unprecedented opportunity to bridge socioeconomic gaps – giving every student a virtual tutor, no matter their background.”

New Program Seeks to Provide Every Israeli Child With a Private AI Tutor | Israel may become the first country with nationwide personalized AI tutoring.

Personalized Avatars
The technology includes speech recognition, voice synthesis, video generation, and large language models, according to Ynet. Students can even customize their avatars’ appearance and personalities. The e-tutors are not only customizable, they also have a key feature that supports learning. If a student goes off-topic, the avatars are designed to gently bring their attention back to the material.

The avatars can support students in studying for tests and reviewing and understanding material, the Jerusalem Post reported. They are designed to respond to students individually and to adjust for each learner’s personalized needs.

Closing the Education Gap
At the heart of the initiative is a powerful goal: to create greater equality in education. “Education is one of the strongest predictors of future opportunity – yet access to quality support remains deeply unequal, at a time when it’s more critical than ever,” Pereira told the Jerusalem Post.

For example, although research shows that one-on-one education boosts students’ abilities to learn and succeed, Ynet revealed that private tutoring can cost up to about $70 per hour, and sometimes more — making it unaffordable for many families. The initiative aims to level the playing field when it comes to education and future success.

Rolling Out the Program
For now, eSelf plans to give 10,000 Israeli students free trial access. After the trial expires, a subscription is planned, with prices expected to be significantly lower in comparison to conventional private lessons.

At the beginning, the program aims to provide students with AI tutoring in math and Hebrew. Their goal is to eventually expand access to the avatar teacher for every single Israeli student, a rollout that will depend on the pilot’s success. “eSelf is making history as the first AI tutoring initiative to be deployed at a national scale,” Becker told The Jerusalem Post.

“It’s an honor to lead an effort that shows how AI can be used for good,” he continued. “Leveling the playing field and supporting students at a time when the education system worldwide is under immense strain,” he added. If the initiative is successful, Israel may pave the way for a brighter, more equal future for students worldwide.