UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Salman Khan, Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing), on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 4 p.m. at the Arlington Theatre.
The visionary behind educational nonprofit Khan Academy, Salman Khan seeks to remove the barriers to education that leave over 600 million children lacking basic math and reading skills. His free world-class curriculum – available to anyone, anywhere – has made a massive impact, with its videos reaching over a billion views.
Now, Khan is using the power of AI to make education even more accessible. With the introduction of the revolutionary Khanmigo, he’s giving every student around the world an AI-powered personal tutor that The Washington Post calls “the best model we have for how to develop and implement AI for the public good.” Author of the new book “Brave New Words,” Khan offers a uniquely prescient and practical look into how we can use AI to enhance HI: “human intelligence, human potential and human purpose.”
Bill Gates has commented that “Sal Khan’s vision and energy for how technology could fundamentally transform education is contagious. He’s a true pioneer in integrating technology and learning.”
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said, “Salman Khan challenges us to reimagine the future of education in an AI-driven era … Not only insightful but also inspiring, demonstrating the enormous potential of technology to empower both learners and educators.”
ABOUT SALMAN KHAN
Recognized for his incredible influence in the field of education, Khan has been profiled by 60 Minutes, featured on the cover of Forbes and named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. His passion project, the Khan Academy, started humbly when he began tutoring his cousins and a few family friends in math. Soon, word spread, demand grew, and the Khan Academy was born. Today, the platform has more than 62 million registered users across 190 countries, each able to access practice exercises, instructional videos and a personalized dashboard to help students learn at their own pace.
With the AI explosion, Khan saw an opportunity to use this new technology to revolutionize education. With this new technology, every student gains an edge. It “could take your average student and turn them into an exceptional student,” says Khan. “It can take your below-average student and turn them into an above-average student.” Boasting a state-of-the-art, adaptive technology, Khan Academy has partnered with world-class institutions such as NASA, New York’s Museum of Modern Art and MIT. The technology has had a reported meaningful impact for students attending top schools such as Stanford, Princeton and Yale, especially those who are first-generation college students.
In his book, “The One World Schoolhouse,” praised by both Bill Gates and Al Gore, Khan outlines his vision for the future of education: liberating teachers from mandated curriculums and encouraging human interaction in classrooms. The ideas in “One World” are the basis for Khan Lab School, an independent off-shoot of the Khan Academy that offers a collaborative, project-based learning approach to a mixed-age student group.
Khan holds three degrees from MIT in mathematics, electrical engineering and computer science, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. While at MIT, he taught MCAT prep courses and was named teacher of the year by a national prep test company.
Tickets & Info: www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu or (805) 893-3535; or The Arlington Theatre, (805) 963-4408
$27 – $47 / UCSB students FREE