Anticipating Change: AI in Education Predictions for 2025
Top Edtech Insiders podcast highlights from 2024, OpenAI announces o3, Google announces Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental, and more!
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Anticipating Change: AI in Education Predictions for 2025
As 2024 comes to a close, we asked members of our Edtech Insiders community to share their predictions for the future of AI in education in 2025. It’s a tradition we love, and we invite you to join in by sharing your own predictions in the comments!
Without further ado, here are the 2025 AI in Education predictions from our community:
Alex Sarlin, Edtech Insiders
Carinne (Cali) Meyrignac, Cali’s Books
Dan Casey, ryco,io
Jacob Kantor, JK K12
Jess Thibault, Hire Education
Kiana Porter-Isom, Reading Horizons
Michael Spencer, GES
Ognjen Todic, Keen Research
Oliver Page, CyberNut
Rajen Sheth, Kyron Learning
Riley Walker, ryco.io
Sunil Gunderia, Age of Learning
Alex Sarlin, Edtech Insiders
Carinne (Cali) Meyrignac, Cali’s Books
Dan Casey, ryco,io
For AI in Education, 2025 will be the year of personalized learning paths. AI will provide tailored educational experiences that highlight individual strengths and focus on improving the weaknesses of each student. Examples will be super-advanced AI tutoring systems that will offer real-time assistance and adapt to the needs of the learner as time progresses. In 2025, AI will make available the stepping stones needed to customize education and break away from this "one-size fits all" approach that we've been stuck in for ages.
Jacob Kantor, JK K12
For AI in Education, 2025 will be the year that more districts across the country start to adopt tools that save their administrators time, energy and precious brain cells on mundane tasks. Big Shout out to leaders like Patrick G. from Lynwood USD who is leading the charge and building his own tools to save time & energy for this entire staff.
Jess Thibault, Hire Education
Kiana Porter-Isom, Reading Horizons
Michael Spencer, GES
For AI in Education, 2025 will be the year that hype hits a sobering reality. Big players such as Google and Microsoft are moving fast to embed education as a core impact offer underpinning AI innovation and have compelling monopolies on K-12 distribution channels. It will be harder than ever for startups to crack America – especially now that ESSER funding is gone, and the era of easy money and domestic market-driven growth is ending. So looking further abroad will become existential for edtech companies in the next 12 months. Around the world, more people than ever are receiving formal schooling and 80% of the world’s demand for education over the next 30 years will be concentrated in Asia and Africa. AI isn’t just transforming product; it’s driving a massive market readjustment.
Ognjen Todic, Keen Research
Oliver Page, CyberNut
Rajen Sheth, Kyron Learning
Riley Walker, ryco.io
Hi, my name is Riley Walker from ryco.io, where we build custom on-demand content for traditional and virtual classrooms. In 2025, the education sector is going to witness a significant transformation driven by virtual campuses and AI agents. Virtual campuses will provide immersive environments that reduce the isolation often associated with remote learning by fostering vibrant, interactive communities. Meanwhile, AI agents will act as personalized educators and mentors, offering tailored learning experiences and supporting students in both academic and social dimensions. Together, these innovations aim to blend the accessibility of online education with the engagement and connectivity of traditional classrooms, effectively combating the challenges of lonely learning while building stronger, global educational communities.
Sunil Gunderia, Age of Learning
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The Edtech Insiders Generative AI Map
In case you missed it, take some time to wander around the Beta release of our Generative AI Map! Built in partnership with Laurence Holt and Jacob Klein, the updated map has expanded from previous versions, now consisting of:
The Market Map: An at-a-glance snapshot of the 6 categories and 50+ use cases for AI in education, alongside leading tools that support each use case (and some emerging or potential use cases with few to no supporting tools yet)
The Generative AI Use Case Database: A repository and deep dive into the 50+ use cases for AI in education, including examples, details and supporting tools
The AI Tool Company Directory: A repository and deep dive into over 300 AI companies and tools in education, including each Gen AI company’s website, Linkedin page, company founders, target audience, sector (K12, HE, etc.), platform (web, app) and traction (web traffic and app downloads).
In this Beta phase, we are actively looking for feedback from our community. Take a look, and submit your suggestions through the feedback forms on the site!
To get started, you can read more about how we built and designed the map here, or jump right in to the micro-site here!
This edition of the Edtech Insiders Newsletter is sponsored by Tuck Advisors.
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Top Edtech Headlines
1. OpenAI Announces New o3 Models
OpenAI has introduced its latest reasoning models, o3 and o3-mini, which represent significant advancements in AI capabilities. The o3 model is designed to approach artificial general intelligence (AGI) under certain conditions, demonstrating substantial improvements in complex tasks such as coding, mathematics, and science. Currently, these models are undergoing safety testing, with access limited to safety and security researchers until January 10, 2025.
2. Google Releases ‘Reasoning’ AI Model
Google has introduced Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental, an AI model designed to enhance reasoning capabilities by explicitly outlining its thought process. Available through Google's AI Studio, this model aims to tackle complex problems in programming, mathematics, and physics by breaking them down into manageable steps. This release positions Google in direct competition with OpenAI's o1 reasoning model.
3. 2024 Global EdTech 1000
HolonIQ's 2024 Global EdTech 1000 report identifies the world's most promising educational technology startups, highlighting regional disparities and shifts in business models. The report notes a decline in early-stage startups, with only 17% founded within the last three years, reflecting tighter funding conditions and a venture capital focus on profitability.
4. Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates
The "Knocking at the College Door" report delivers pivotal forecasts on the evolving demographics of U.S. high school graduates until 2041, indicating a peak in 2025 followed by a gradual decline due to shifting birth rates. It emphasizes the increasing diversity within the graduate pool, with notable rises in Hispanic and Multiracial groups. This information serves as a critical tool for educators and policymakers to strategize on future educational structures and initiatives.
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To learn more about what Cooley can do for you, reach out to Naomi May.
Highlighting 2024: Top Moments from the Edtech Insiders Podcast
We had SO MANY incredible guests and conversations on the podcast this year. As a quick look, here are some of the most listened to episodes from 2024! Take a look back through the archives, and you’ll be reminded just how much happened in edtech this year!
Top Interview Episodes of 2024
Top Week in Edtech Episodes of 2024
Steve Ritter, Carnegie Learning and Christopher Kahler, Kinnu
Anna and Ben of Whiteboard, Lindsay Dworkin of HMH, and Kavitta Ghai of Nectar
Jason Levin of WGU Labs, and Brian Ashton and Van Christman of BYU Worldwide
Curious to Hear More?
You can listen to all our interviews with edtech founders, investors, and thought leaders at The Edtech Insiders Podcast! Check it out, and as always, we’d love to hear what you think!