Developing Whiteboard-Literate AI for Equitable and Accessible Education

About

The United Nations has identified inclusive, equitable quality education as a key objective of the 2030 Agenda. Large language models and generative AI create unprecedented opportunities to advance this vision at scale. To maximize this potential and develop human-centered technologies for future sustainable instruction programs, we must integrate AI with proven educational practices that have fostered human learning for generations. Our approach centers on developing AI-powered educational models capable of engaging with education's most enduring and universal tool—the whiteboard —unlocking visual communication capabilities that current systems lack.

Using handwriting, sketching, and visual explanation in a shared visual space has long been integral to learning, enhancing comprehension, collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving.

However, existing AI-based tutoring systems remain limited to text-based interaction. While these methods can provide personalized feedback and answer questions, they cannot demonstrate mathematical proofs on a board or collaborate with students in constructing visual representations of complex ideas.

This project aims to develop the first whiteboard-literate AI tool for education that can explain concepts visually and interact with students in a shared visual thinking space. We strive to create transformative learning experiences, combining AI's personalization and extensive knowledge with the visual, embodied engagement that makes learning profound and lasting.