Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak

Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak


Socos: Potentially Mind-Blowing

March 03, 2017

Neuroscientist, mom and entrepreneur Dr. Vivienne Ming is using artificial intelligence to change the future.

Vivienne and her wife, Norma, are the co-founders of Bay Area educational technology startup Socos,   Through Socos, they're offering an app that helps parents maximize a child's learning experiences--and life outcome.

This app, called MuseBot, is based on decades of research and machine learning.   MuseBot will ask a parent a daily question, analyzing a child's learning process.  Then, the app sends the parent a suggestion for a customized activity.  Activities are designed to spark the child's interest and imagination, encouraging questions and exploration of his or her world.

Currently, MuseBot is geared towards children ages newborn to twelve.  But plans are in the works for future products that can intervene at critical points in the learning process for older students, as well.  Vivienne says teen to college-age groups will also be seeing a MuseBot in the future.

And while MuseBot is a  commercial product, Vivienne, whom Inc. Magazine named one of"10 Women to Watch in Tech" in 2013, also makes it available to low-income customers, through her nonprofit organization.

Vivienne talked about her background, her experiences co-founding Socos with Norma, who is an educational expert, and the ways MuseBot helps children (and potentially, "big kids") to maximize learning potential.
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

*
Vivienne's journey towards her current career as a scientist, entrepreneur and educational pioneer;

*
How an undergraduate machine-learning project ultimately inspired her to use AI to improve the educational field;

*
The steps Vivienne and Norma took towards their current work in making a difference in students' lives and futures;

*
How the Muse software evolved from their experience and research;

*
The philosophy behind MuseBot and the ways it's revolutionizing education;

*
How parents can apply MuseBot to maximize a child's learning outcomes;

*
How low-income organizations can use MuseBot--at no charge.

*
A MuseBot intervention Vivienne put to work to awaken her five-year-old daughter's interest in science;

*
How Socos is developing MuseBot for older children and young adults;

*
What adults can do, today, to maximize their potential--and one of the biggest predictors of future success.