In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping education, Dysolve stands out as a groundbreaking tool designed to tackle a longstanding challenge: dyslexia. Founded by Dr. Coral Hoh, a leading expert in AI and clinical linguistics, Dysolve leverages cutting-edge technology to transform how students with language-related disorders learn. Unlike traditional assistive tools that merely support students, Dysolve’s AI system is engineered to identify and correct dyslexia-related inefficiencies in brain processing. This innovative approach is delivered through personalized, language-based games that adapt to each student’s unique needs, helping them catch up to grade-level reading with impressive results.
In this insightful interview, Dr. Hoh shares how Dysolve’s AI-driven system personalizes education in a way that has never been done before. She describes how the platform tailors game-based exercises for each student, addressing specific challenges like phoneme recognition or syllable segmentation. Dr. Hoh also discusses the importance of designing non-intrusive technology that integrates seamlessly into classrooms, making life easier for both teachers and students. Furthermore, she explains why Dysolve is so cost-effective compared to traditional interventions, citing significant savings for schools and families.
The conversation goes beyond Dysolve’s impact on dyslexia, exploring AI’s potential to revolutionize education in other subjects like math and science. Dr. Hoh envisions a future where AI not only enhances learning outcomes but also fosters creativity and critical thinking. She emphasizes the need for responsible AI use and shares her vision for expanding Dysolve’s reach to underserved populations worldwide, including adults and incarcerated individuals. With Dysolve, the future of AI in education looks more inclusive, accessible, and transformative than ever.
Dr. Coral Hoh, is founder of Dysolve and a leading expert in AI and clinical linguistics:
- AI in Education: Dysolve has had impressive results in helping students catch up to their grade-level reading. Can you share how AI specifically supports students with language-related disorders, like dyslexia, in achieving these outcomes?
While AI-driven assistive tools compensate for learning difficulties, Dysolve® is an AI system custom-built to correct dyslexia. Rather than merely support, Dysolve® AI evaluates each student to locate language processing inefficiencies in the brain. Then Dysolve® AI corrects the inefficiencies found incrementally through weekly practice. All this is accomplished through language-based games that Dysolve® AI generates specifically for each person.
- Personalized Learning: Dysolve’s AI-driven approach seems to offer a highly personalized learning experience. How does AI enable this level of customization, and what are some examples of how students’ individual needs are met?
Dysolve® AI enables this high level of customization because it has the technology to build as many games as needed to resolve each person’s processing difficulties. No other game-based program has this technology, which is patent-protected. This generative capability is needed to accommodate wide individual variations in this population.
For example, one student may have difficulty detecting the /p/ sound in words. Dysolve® AI thus builds games to help him isolate that sound in heard words. Another student may have difficulty breaking a word into syllables. Dysolve® AI thus generates games to help her recognize syllable boundaries.
In any case, personalization of education should be the goal in general because of individual differences. That is, technological innovations enable us to advance from the old framework of one-size-fits-all mass production to customization.
- Integration with Existing Systems: What advice would you give to educators and school districts looking to integrate AI-driven tools like Dysolve into their existing curriculum? What should they keep in mind for a smooth transition?
It’s developers who should keep in mind what’s needed for smooth implementation. We’ve built Dysolve® AI so that no integration into the school’s IT system or curriculum is needed. The teacher does not have to install, download, do upgrades or train. A new student just logs in and plays the games on the screen. A school principal who used Dysolve® called it “non-intrusive.”
- Teacher’s Role with AI: As AI becomes more prevalent in classrooms, how do you envision the role of teachers evolving? How can they leverage these tools while still maintaining a critical, hands-on role in student learning?
Technology by definition is an invention that expands human capability. Educators need to consider what skills AI renders unnecessary and what new capabilities it makes possible. When AI can perform functions, such as compose grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs, what new demands can we place on students? Do we ask for more insight, originality, or novel solutions in their writing for example? In what ways can teachers support students in advancing to the next level of growth?
- Cost Effectiveness: You’ve mentioned that Dysolve operates at just 1% of New York State’s special education budget, per pupil. What are the key factors that make AI-driven solutions like Dysolve so cost-effective compared to traditional methods?
NYS pays over $20,000 per pupil in special ed per year. Most students with a learning disability like dyslexia stay in special ed throughout school (i.e., total cost = $20,000 x 10 years = $200,000 per pupil). In contrast, Dysolve® AI currently costs $1,000 per pupil. Historically, students graduate from Dysolve® when they read on grade level within 2 years (total cost = $2,000 per pupil).
Dysolve® AI is cost effective because it is effective. First, it gets struggling readers out of special ed. Second, it costs considerably less than specialist-led interventions. Schools pay thousands of dollars to get a reading specialist trained. These specialists usually work with students one-on-one or in small groups. Yet specialists cannot resolve dyslexia due to the complexity of this brain processing problem.
- Scaling AI for Broader Impact: Dysolve has proven effective in language-related disorders, but what do you see as the potential for scaling AI to benefit students in other areas of education, such as math, science, or social studies?
We are in the era of responsive, intelligent systems that can personalize education across the curriculum. Instead of adaptive learning systems that just advance students up levels of knowledge or skills, as in math, new AI systems would be even more sensitive and responsive to individual students’ strengths, weaknesses, exceptional answers, and errors.
Dysolve® AI, however, is in a class of its own because it targets brain processing. Ed tech currently focuses on skills and knowledge acquisition instead. Dysolve® AI works at a level that was not accessible before: brain processing. Brain processing supports skills learning (e.g., reading), which supports knowledge acquisition (e.g., social studies).
- Balancing AI and Human Interaction: In a world increasingly shaped by technology, how can schools ensure that AI enhances learning without reducing opportunities for critical thinking, creativity, and human interaction?
An educator may consider which critical thinking strategies can be AI-supported and which should be executed exclusively by the student. For example, synthesis of information may be tech-enabled but evaluative judgment may be reserved for the student.
Creativity involves an original, often unexpected, permutation of old associations. For example, Dysolve® AI solved dyslexia by marrying clinical linguistics with gamification. Of the creative thinking strategies, a student may use software to view structures from multiple perspectives. Next, she abstracts key aspects of the situation on her own to solve the problem.
Technology does not necessarily take away human interaction; it may enhance it. For example, while some students use Dysolve® AI, their teachers can attend more fully to other students in the classroom.
- The Future of AI in Education: What excites you most about the future of AI in education? How do you see AI reshaping education beyond just helping students catch up on reading or addressing specific learning disabilities?
What excites me most is our new way of changing the brain in a non-invasive, non-physical, harmless way. This new type of AI can serve everyone because it is highly scalable, affordable, and accessible.
- Responsible Use of AI: There are concerns about over-reliance on AI in education. What strategies can school and policymakers adopt to ensure that AI is used responsibly and ethically in classrooms?
Guiding principles should be in place so that schools are not merely reacting to each new form of AI or threat. The first step is differentiating between different types of AI. While some pose risks and threats, others like Dysolve® AI solve big, previously intractable problems like dyslexia.
- Measuring Success: How do you measure Dysolve’s success beyond just grade-level improvement in reading? Are there other metrics you consider, such as student engagement or confidence in learning?
When brain processing improves, the whole person changes. Dysolve® students report that schoolwork gets easier, homework takes less time, and test prep is more effective. Parents and teachers note that the child seems happier, more engaged, and confident. Our goal is to get the student to realize her full potential.
- Long-Term Vision for Dysolve: What is your long-term vision for Dysolve? How do you see the company evolving in the next 5-10 years, especially as AI continues to develop and more schools adopt.
We invented Dysolve® AI to end dyslexia. Dyslexia affects 20% of the population worldwide. We will be releasing Dysolve® Dyslexia in different languages. Dysolve® AI can provide universal screening in the early grades and intervention to all students who need it. This vision is very different from the current situation, where less than half of students with dyslexia get special services in school in the U.S. Most students are not even diagnosed. Other countries are even further behind in addressing this problem.
Adults with dyslexia are also using Dysolve® AI. We have heard from inmates in prison, where dyslexia affects more than half the population. We plan to get Dysolve® AI to adults through their employers, vocational schools, community service providers and correctional systems.