{
  "id": 162090,
  "title": "'Used right, AI is a patient tutor. Used wrong, it's a shortcut around the learning': we spoke to the creator behind an AI tool that's changing the way students learn",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/used-right-ai-is-a-patient-tutor-used-wrong-its-a-shortcut-around-the",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-05T06:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Guide",
    "slug": "tom-s-guide",
    "url": "https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/used-right-ai-is-a-patient-tutor-used-wrong-its-a-shortcut-around-the-learning-we-spoke-to-the-creator-behind-an-ai-tool-thats-changing-the-way-students-learn"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ashish Bansal, a father and the creator of StarSpark, an AI-powered math and science educational platform, recently spoke with Tom's Guide about the importance of purpose-built learning tools over general chatbots. Bansal, who spent 15 years building AI at Google and Amazon before starting StarSpark, noticed a lack of specialized education tools in the market. He aimed to create a system that was not only built for learning but also specifically designed for K-12 and AP coursework, adapting to each student's grade level, learning style, and existing knowledge.\n\nBansal explained that existing AI education tools are essentially general chatbots that provide answers or thin wrappers over the same models, designed for professional engagement rather than teaching. These tools often optimize for engagement, leading to sycophancy instead of effective teaching. He emphasized the importance of teaching rather than just providing solutions, noting that a good teacher points out when a student is wrong, which is crucial for a student's learning experience. If a student can spot mistakes independently, they likely wouldn't need a tutor.\n\nOne of StarSpark's core design principles is to guide students through productive struggle, ensuring they work at the edge of their abilities rather than having the work done for them. The platform offers hints incrementally, providing only the smallest nudges needed to help students think through problems independently. This approach is intended to prevent students from becoming overly dependent on AI, fostering problem-solving skills instead. StarSpark also features proactive intervention, stepping in to teach concepts when it detects a student is genuinely stuck, allowing the student to learn from mistakes and correct misconceptions. Bansal shared several examples of students developing confidence and problem-solving skills through using StarSpark, highlighting the platform's success in promoting independent learning and understanding.",
  "summary": "We spoke to Ashish Bansal, Founder & CEO of StarSpark AI, about his AI educational tool and how it's impacting the way kids learn math and science via K-12 and AP coursework.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}