alt Hacker NewsSorry — we had to step away to put our kids to bed, but this post has really blown up! not able respond to every comment right now but just wanted to say one thing: we've been working on this problem for over 5 years now, and our team has witnessed how transformative technology can be when set up correctly to change a child who has fallen behind back up to par, and at times even exceed their peers, in very short periods of time.
Ello 1.0, our reading product that isn’t fully agentic but incorporates extensive use of AI, is already in the homes of tens of thousands of happy families, and every day we continue be be blown away by the messages we receive from our customers for whom Ello has been able to meaningfully impact. We know there's some skepticism on how AI will evolve over time, but we've been witness to how impactful technology can when done right can be. This is why we think it's even more important that we try to get this right, than to simply rule it off the technology because it's AI.
If you want to read up on some reviews from the families using the current version of Ello, you can take a look here: https://www.reviews.io/company-reviews/store/ello
HN's skepticism on this subject (which I share) is understandable. At the same time I share your view of its enormous potential.
Personally I'd question the "who is this coming from?" (you answered that in another comment), and "what's the intention behind it?".
If you're a commercial company, I'd be tempted to suspect a "hook 'em while they're young" thought behind it. Perhaps not now, but turning into that over time because 'reasons' (cough "shareholder value" & the like).
If you were a non-profit otoh, I'd give you the benefit of the doubt.
To address that, would you be willing to pursue a non-profit status for your company and/or platform? Has this been discussed @ some point?
Btw: thanks for taking the time to address the many issues raised in this thread! HN can be a brutal place for people not used to its audience! (trust me, we're mostly friendly but with an extreme no-bullshit attitude at times).