"High Schoolers Develop AI Tool for AP Exam Prep"

Two ambitious high school students from Seattle have developed an innovative ed-tech tool that harnesses the power of AI to revolutionize the way students study for advanced placement (AP) courses. Frustrated by the lack of adequate resources to support their own studies, Pradyu Kandala and Abhay Chebium, juniors at Eastlake High School in Sammamish, Washington, co-founded Professor AI. The platform acts as a virtual tutor, providing study guides, practice tests, quizzes, and course-specific chats tailored to AP curricula.

"We started this because we experienced the problem," said Kandala, the startup's CEO. "We know that if we can use this for our homework, everybody's going to want to use it for homework."

Powered by AI models from OpenAI, Claude, Anthropic, and Mistral AI, Professor AI is trained on AP-specific curriculum such as AP rubrics, textbooks, and niche questions. The platform aims to address three major obstacles faced by students studying for AP courses: inadequate teacher attention, expensive and inaccessible tutors, and overwhelming self-study materials.

"Our goal is to use tech to replace those obstacles," Kandala explained.

Recognizing the potential for AI to revolutionize education, Seattle Public Schools initially banned ChatGPT on student devices before making it available to ensure students can access "this transformative technology." Professor AI, however, is designed to complement students' learning experience without enabling cheating.

Professor AI's monetization plan is based on a subscription model, with a free plan, a $14/month "scholar" plan, and an "elite" plan for $29/month. The startup has raised $20,000 so far and is actively seeking additional investors.

Kandala and Chebium are enrolled in a New York-based accelerator program with Antler and have assembled a small team of high schoolers working as developers and in marketing/content. With their unique understanding of AP students' needs and their ability to quickly iterate and improve the product, the young entrepreneurs are poised to make a significant impact on the ed-tech landscape.

Source: AI for AP: High school students create tool that acts as tech tutor for advanced placement courses - GeekWire