EdTech Startup, Brisk Raises $15 Million to Bring AI Tools to US Classrooms
AI-powered edtech startup Brisk has raised $15 million in new funding, TechCrunch reported. Brisk AI classroom tools allow teachers to identify signs of AI-generated content in student writing.
Brisk AI Tools
The Brisk edtech platform comes with 40 tools for both teachers and students. The platform leverages computer vision and generative AI among other features to complete tasks faster and better.
Some of the tasks that teachers can complete on this platform include lesson plan preparation, developing presentations, and writing tests. The platform can also adjust tasks to different abilities such as grading.
“The existing edtech stack as we know it, which is around 140 different tools that the average teacher in the U.S. uses in a given school year, is not ready for AI. We’re trying to build the AI-native edtech stack,” Brisk’s CEO Arman Jaffer said.
With the latest Brisk AI funding, the edtech startup will build additional tools and expand to other platforms. Brisk is also planning to integrate its tools with Microsoft. The edtech company is looking to achieve a Brisk-Microsoft integration later this year.
A Timely Intervention
Brisk comes at a time when educators are increasingly embracing an array of tech tools to improve their work processes and address challenges like book decline and budget cuts. Recently, the US Government announced the closure of the Department of Education. These changes are yet to take effect. However, this decision has raised concerns on the potential reduction of resources in schools.
Edtech is seen as a viable solution to some of these challenges. In recent years, hundreds of startups have launched edtech apps to improve student learning experiences. Some big players in this space like Khan Academy cater for direct student needs. Others like the edtech suites developed by Microsoft and Google target educators and schools.
As technology continues to advance, new ways of connecting with students have emerged. Gamification is one of the ways that this advancement has reflected in the education sector. Gamification tools like Kahoot make learning more interactive and accessible to students of all ages. AI integration is another way that edtech will experience natural evolution.
The current funding round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners. It was backed by previous Brisk investors including Springback Collective, South Park Commons, and Owl Ventures.
Leveraging GenAI
One of the most popular tools on Brisk’s stack is Targeted Feedback. The tool uses generative AI to read essays on Google Docs and generate age-appropriate comments. Teachers can review and edit the comments before sharing feedback with students. There are fears and different opinions on whether AI is taking up the teachers’ tasks, but it appears that this trend cannot be ignored.
“We’re big believers at this AI moment in tracking sectors like education technology, which have a reputation for being tech phobic. This reputation often arises because the high-value workflow in these environments involves human language, and thus wasn’t as addressable with legacy software – with LLMs all of that can change. But one of the biggest surprises as we looked into AI powered ed-tech was that educators were not just tolerating AI, they are aggressively seeking it out,” Kent Bennett, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners said.
Brisk’s student writing inspector helps teachers assess whether the work submitted by students is plagiarized or generated using AI tools. The edtech startup is focused on building more immersive tools for the education sector.
Currently, users need a Chrome extension to access the platform. The company will be shifting to a new web platform to enable teachers to work more natively and cohesively within the Brisk generative AI platform. The company plans to offer additional multimodal integrations to facilitate submission of image-based assignments in addition to text. Brisk also plans to add a podcast feature on the platform to generate audios to describe documents.
