Israel Launches Pilot Program: Students Learn with Interactive Avatar Companions

Israel will act as a test site for implementing a national pilot initiative designed to enhance students' learning abilities through the use of cost-effective one-on-one tutoring provided by AI-powered virtual tutors that emulate individual human instructors.

An Israeli start-up called eSelf, which specializes in developing platforms for interactive, digital, person-to-person conversational avatars, has joined forces with CET—Israel’s premier K-12 educational textbook publisher—to launch a customized AI tutoring solution for pupils nationwide.

CET, which is also called Matach, is a non-profit group focused on improving Israel’s educational framework. They run several online systems that offer study resources and technological aids to millions of pupils throughout the country, covering every subject and grade level.

Beginning in May, eSelf’s customized AI tutoring system will launch through CET’s Ofek online learning platform. During this trial phase, Harvard University will act as an academic consultant, overseeing the approach and assessment to gauge the educational effectiveness of eSelf’s AI tutor.

We're teaming up with eSelf to offer each student in Israel an individualized AI tutor," stated Tzachi Langer, CET’s Vice President of Marketing. "This collaboration marks the initial phase in ensuring AI becomes readily available as a resource for all students across the country, enhancing educational fairness and enabling Israel's youth to gain greater confidence in their scholastic abilities and prospects.

Within this pilot initiative, students will be granted access to an exclusive AI-powered digital mentor both within and beyond the confines of the classroom. This assistant uses fluid conversation-based voice recognition technology and has been crafted to act like a personal virtual study partner who can engage in direct dialogue with learners, addressing their queries instantly through spoken responses. Additionally, it creates supplementary visual aids such as pictures and video content for each lesson.

The avatars support multiple languages; however, the initial training for pilots will commence with Hebrew-language lessons and will first encompass various topics such as mathematics, linguistics, and literary studies. According to eSelf, access to these AI tutors will require a monthly fee, which is significantly less expensive than hiring a personal instructor.

The company's platform enables users to develop personalized AI-driven video avatars—ranging from looks to temperaments—to interact with learners via smooth vocal exchanges and instant visual updates, akin to virtual tutoring experiences or one-on-one coaching.

The interactive avatar is capable of adjusting to each student’s specific learning advantages and difficulties, providing tailored assistance, according to the startup.

The proposal emerges due to a scarcity of competent educators nationwide and following trends showing declines among Israeli students in recent years. scored underperforming compared to most OECD nations in key areas like mathematics, science, and reading.

Education stands as one of the most potent indicators of future success—yet equitable access to high-quality resources continues to be severely imbalanced, despite being crucial now more than ever," stated Victor Pereira, faculty member and co-chair of the Teaching Leadership program at Harvard University. "This collaboration among eSelf, CET, and Harvard University presents a groundbreaking chance to narrow economic disparities—ensuring each student has a personal virtual tutor regardless of their origins.

"This is exactly how AI ought to be incorporated into education: not as a substitute for human teachers, but as a potent enhancement that expands learning opportunities and fosters self-reliance," Pereira emphasized.

In 2023, serial entrepreneur Dr. Alan Bekker teamed up with Elon Shoshan to launch eSelf, an AI platform designed to facilitate human-machine interactions via lifelike avatars. This innovative tool allows users to craft personalized digital representations of themselves using an easy-to-use web-based design suite capable of handling more than three dozen languages. These customizable avatars find applications across various sectors including education, banking, and retail. Prior to founding eSelf, Bekker was instrumental in launching Voca.ai, which was later purchased by Snap Inc. in 2020 for $70 million.

eSelf is setting records as the premier AI tutoring program to reach nationwide implementation," stated CEO Bekker. "This endeavor demonstrates howAI can serve positive purposes—creating equality of opportunity and aiding students during this period when global educational systems face significant pressures.

The post Israel rolls out pilot for students to learn with conversational avatar companions appeared first on The Times of Israel .

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