Bookbot uses AI to boost literacy and critical thinking outcomes for children and provides educators with tools to track progress and encourage student growth.
Organization’s Background and Achievements
This project is one of the 2024-2025 WISE Prize for Education semi-finalists.
Bookbot was born out of a personal challenge faced by its founder, Adrian DeWitts. When his son was diagnosed with dyslexia and struggling with reading in school, DeWitts created Bookbot to help him practice his reading skills. The remarkable success of this personal project—his son went from being last in his class to winning the best reader award at graduation—inspired DeWitts to expand Bookbot’s reach to help all children struggling with reading.
Since its inception, Bookbot has achieved significant milestones in improving children’s literacy:
- Doubles reading fluency within a year, with plans to extend this success to critical thinking skills development
- Offers over 1,000 phonics-based decodable books in multiple languages
- Achieves a 99% satisfaction rate among grades 1-3 students
- Reaches a global audience across 167 countries with its English version
- Improved literacy for over 52,000 children
Bookbot’s impact extends beyond mere numbers. The app has shown a strong commitment to inclusivity, with 50% of its users being girls and 70% being learners with reading difficulties. This demonstrates Bookbot’s effectiveness in addressing the needs of diverse learners and promoting equal access to quality education.
New Solution: AI-Driven Personalized Reading Tutor
Bookbot’s core innovation is its AI-driven personalized reading tutor. Key features include:
- Interactive robot characters that serve as engaging reading tutors
- Personalized learning paths that focus on each child’s specific challenges
- Progress tracking for both students and educators
- A vast library of phonics-based decodable books in multiple languages
- Rapid scalability to new countries and languages
What sets Bookbot apart is its ability to make advanced literacy education accessible and engaging for children worldwide, regardless of their location or learning challenges. The app’s design is based on the science of reading, ensuring that its methods are grounded in proven pedagogical approaches.
Potential Impact and Prospects
Bookbot has already demonstrated significant impact, doubling reading fluency within a year for its users. The app has improved literacy for over 52,000 children, with a strong focus on inclusivity – 50% of users are girls, and 70% are learners with reading difficulties.
Looking ahead, Bookbot aims to expand its reach to all African languages within the next five years. The team is actively seeking partnerships with foundations, governments, and other dedicated founders to bring their solution to more languages and countries, with a particular focus on areas where quality learning tools are scarce. These partnerships are crucial for addressing the diverse linguistic and cultural needs of different regions, particularly in underserved areas. Through collaboration, Bookbot can adapt its content and approach to local contexts, ensuring maximum effectiveness and relevance for each community it serves.
Addressing WISE Prize for Education Challenges
Bonocle addresses the following WISE Prize challenges:
- Artificial Intelligence in Education ☑️
- Teaching of Arabic Language
- Foundational Literacies ☑️
The solution directly addresses these challenges by leveraging AI to create personalized reading experiences and by focusing on foundational literacy skills. This approach not only uses AI in education but also tackles one of the most crucial aspects of early education: reading proficiency.