[AI Revolution](104) "Know Why You Got It Wrong with AI, Improve Academic Performance Step by Step"… MataEdu Supports Learning

Interview with O Taehyung, CEO of Mataedu
Providing Customized Math Learning through AI Analysis
"A Support Tool for Teachers and Students"

O Tae-hyung, CEO of Mataedu, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Gangnam office in Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Mataedu is gaining attention by providing math education services based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Not only does it measure math skills through AI analysis, but the AI also offers level-specific customized education to keep students interested in math.

Taehyung Oh, CEO and founder of Mataedu, nurtured his dream of starting a business while working as a math instructor at a private academy for college entrance exams. He was confident that by tracking students' problem-solving processes, deep learning could identify which math concepts were lacking, why students chose "attractive wrong answers," and more. Oh said, "While working as a math instructor, I concretized the idea of identifying weak concepts through deep learning, and after meeting with my classmates from Seoul National University to establish a corporation, we finally founded the company in September 2013."

The name "Mata" in Mataedu is short for "micro-targeting." The company's math education service is called "AI Mata Math." The AI remembers the answers students input and identifies which concepts are weak. It then presents remedial problems to practice those concepts.

Mataedu labels all the content it owns and also has information from students' practice notebooks. Based on this, it assesses how well students understand problems and estimates the probability of providing correct answers. Additionally, it predicts how much students' skills will improve if they solve the practice problems suggested by AI Mata Math.

The company also possesses a large language model (LLM) fine-tuned for math education. Oh explained, "Using the LLM, we teach concepts step-by-step as students solve problems, helping them find solutions. We provide teachers with learning reports and offer students guidance on weak points along with practice problems."

Mataedu not only serves elementary, middle, and high school students but also holds university-level math education content. It is praised for its strengths in various content as well as user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). Mataedu's unique technological capabilities have been recognized with five domestic patents, four U.S. patents, and three Taiwanese patents.

Thanks to these advantages, AI Mata Math had over 260,000 users across 1,400 schools nationwide as of last year. Among about 1,000 digital leading schools applying AI-based courseware and other programs before the introduction of AI digital textbooks in March next year, more than 300 schools chose Mataedu.

However, Mataedu is committed to playing a supportive role for teachers. Oh stated, "Teachers hold an absolute position in learning management and motivation," adding, "AI Mata Math aims to serve as an auxiliary tool for both teachers and students."

The company also plans to expand into subjects beyond math. Oh said, "To have value as an education company, content is ultimately important. We aim to acquire excellent content and become the best education company not only in math but also in other subjects like Korean."