New Year, New Ideas with Google Part 4: Yossi Matias and Obum Ekeke on AI’s Transformative Role in Learning

Jan 16, 2025

Yossi Matias, Vice President at Google Research, and Obum Ekeke, Head of Education Partnerships at Google DeepMind, share their insights on AI’s impact on education. They discuss groundbreaking AI tools like LearnLM that enhance accessibility and promote equitable learning experiences. The importance of community feedback in refining AI applications is emphasized, along with the vision of AI personalization for diverse learning styles. Both guests advocate for democratizing AI knowledge to empower underrepresented groups in tech education.

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INSIGHT

Google Research's Role in the AI Era

Google Research drives breakthroughs in various fields, including foundational machine learning and AI for societal good.
The golden age of research allows for faster innovation cycles, applying solutions quickly and meaningfully.

INSIGHT

AI's Impact on Healthcare

Fine-tuning language models, like Med-PaLM for healthcare, significantly improves performance in specific domains.
Med-PaLM achieved expert-level performance on US medical exam questions, demonstrating the potential of AI in healthcare.

INSIGHT

LearnLM and the Future of Learning

LearnLM, a fine-tuned language model for education, enhances learning through features like quizzes and partial answers.
Collaboration with educators is crucial for setting learning goals, evaluating models, and unlocking AI’s potential in education.

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Yossi Matias, Vice President of Google and Head of Google Research, leads groundbreaking efforts in foundational machine learning, quantum computing, and AI for societal impact in education, health, and climate. A world-renowned AI expert, Yossi has pioneered conversational AI, driven Google Search innovations, and launched transformative initiatives like AI for Social Good and Google for Startups Accelerator. His work focuses on leveraging AI to address global challenges and improve lives on a global scale.

Obum Ekeke, Head of Education Partnerships at Google DeepMind, champions equitable access to AI education and fosters diversity in the tech industry. An OBE recipient for his contributions to computing and inclusion, Obum has led initiatives that have reached millions of learners worldwide, including founding Google Educator Groups in over 60 countries. His mission is to prepare students and educators for the future by making AI knowledge accessible and impactful for all.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

How Google Research is driving breakthroughs in generative AI and education.
The global impact of LearnLM and other AI-powered educational tools.
The role of AI in promoting equity and accessibility in education.
Insights into Google DeepMind’s Experience AI program and talent pipeline.
The future of personalized learning and AI literacy for students worldwide.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:02:19] Yossi on AI’s transformative potential in education, health, and climate.
[00:09:46] Obum shares how Experience AI empowers teachers and students globally.
[00:19:24] Discussion on LearnLM’s development and its focus on pedagogy.
[00:29:22] Insights into how AI is making personalized learning a reality.
[00:41:50] Reflections on the importance of equitable access to AI education.
[00:55:36] Envisioning a future where AI-driven tools enhance both teaching and learning.

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