He teaches people around the world using videos and AI. Now he speaks in Santa Barbara

It's a project with unlikely roots. Khan Academy is a free, video-based online tutoring program for students focused on math and science, an initiative that some say has revolutionized learning.

The beginning was easy. A man was trying to help a family member who was having trouble at school.

“My original background was in technology. After studying business, I worked at a hedge fund in Boston,” said Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy. “My family was visiting me from New Orleans, where I grew up, and my cousin Nadia was struggling with math. So I offered to tutor her when she returned to New Orleans, remotely. She agreed, it worked.” The news spread for her that there was free tutoring. Before I knew it, I saw a common pattern…they had gaps in their learning…so I started writing software for them.”

Khan said a friend had an idea. Why not convert the lessons into videos so they can be shared?

“I thought it was a stupid idea, but I tried it anyway. It takes on a life of its own,” Khan said. “From 2008 to 2009, about 50,000 to 100,000 people were using these resources, significantly more than my cousins. It started to take over my life. I got letters from people all over the world saying that this would allow them to go back to college or keep up with their class, and then I started it as a nonprofit.”

Khan will be speaking in Santa Barbara at the Arlington Theater this weekend. The project is celebrating its 20th anniversary^Th Anniversary. It has grown worldwide and has more than 160 million registered users.

But now the academy has a new tool. It uses artificial intelligence to help teachers. It's an AI tool called Khanmigo This can help educators personalize courses for students, come up with ideas to make the topics more interesting, and even help develop lesson plans.

It can serve as a tutor for students and help parents who have difficulty helping their children with homework and other projects.

He has written a new book about the role of AI in education: “ Beautiful new words. Khan believes it can be an important new tool in education. Through a grant from Microsoft, it is offered free to every teacher in America.

Khan admits that running the nonprofit is a huge project, especially because he is constantly fundraising to ensure access can be offered for free. But he still needs time to create new videos and add them to the library

Khan will speak at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon. The UC Santa Barbara Arts and Lectures event is open to the public. Tickets are available at Arts and Lectures and the Arlington Theater.