Classroom AI Tool Built Around Education-Specific Large Language Model

AI company Merlyn Mind has launched an education-specific tool designed for the classroom and built around a large language model created using vetted educational resources, as opposed to AI tools built on broader internet content.

The tool, Merlyn Origin, gives teachers the ability to "use their voice from anywhere in the classroom to control their learning applications, computer, and front-of-class display. With Origin, teachers can access classroom lessons, generate quick quizzes, and help students find answers on the spot – all with the confidence that they're pulling content from an LLM specifically trained on vetted, educational content and resources, not from the entirety of the internet."

Merlyn Mind said Origin is the first large language model, or LLM, created specifically for classroom use. The company said other educational tools powered by generative AI rely on broad-based LLMs like ChatGPT.

Classroom AI Tool Built Around Education-Specific Large Language Model

In addition to being built around vetted educational content, it's also designed to block "inappropriate use" and protect user data through redaction. It's also designed to prevent "hallucinations," the phenomenon in which generative AI's will make up "facts," cite non-existent sources, or otherwise generate non-factual information. The company did not indicate how its AI achieves this.

"Educators must be able to confidently employ AI tools tailored for classroom use, emphasizing their educational and developmental suitability," said Dr. Satya Nitta, Co-founder and CEO at Merlyn Mind. "Driven by our belief that people collaborating with purpose-built AI can unlock previously unattainable human progress, Origin has been designed as a secure, locally-focused, and education-centric solution aimed at enhancing learning outcomes and advancing our objective of incorporating the latest AI advancements into education."

The company said that in the future, educators will also be able to " integrate their own content and curriculum into the platform as part of a walled-garden approach that allows both teachers and students to harness the capabilities of generative AI safely to encourage curiosity and promote higher-order thinking during class, which, in turn, enhances the learning experience."

Further details are available at merlyn.org.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  •  classroom scene with students gathered around a laptop showing a virtual tour interface

    Discovery Education Announces Spring Lineup of Free Virtual Field Trips

    This Spring, Discovery Education is collaborating with partners such as Warner Bros., DC Comics, National Science Foundation, NBA, and more to present a series of free virtual field trips for K-12 students.

  • glowing padlock shape integrated into a network of interconnected neon-blue lines and digital nodes, set against a soft, blurred geometric background

    3 in 4 Administrators Expect a Security Incident to Impact Their School This Year

    In an annual survey from education identity platform Clever, 74% of administrators admitted that they believe a security incident is likely to impact their school system in the coming year. That's up from 71% who said the same last year.

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • pattern of icons for math and reading, including a pi symbol, calculator, and open book

    HMH Launches Personalized Path Solution

    Adaptive learning company HMH has introduced HMH Personalized Path, a K-8 ELA and math product that combines intervention curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment for students of all achievement levels.