[AI Revolution] "AI Version of 'Soohak-ui Jeongseok' is the Goal"... Turing's 'Math King' Recognized by OpenAI

Choi Mingyu, CEO of Turing, Interview
AI Analyzes the Entire Problem-Solving Process and Evaluates Step by Step
Provides Hints When You Send an 'SOS'
SAT, the U.S. College Entrance Exam, Now Taken on iPad
Students Need to Get Used to Studying Math with Digital Devices and AI

AI startup 'Turing' CEO Min-kyu Choi is presenting the math study application service 'Math King'. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed the way math scores are graded. It's not just about 'right' or 'wrong' anymore. When a student faces a difficult problem and works through it up to 90% before getting stuck at the end, the AI, which has been observing the student's entire problem-solving process, evaluates each step and even provides hints to help find the correct answer. This is the story of 'Math King,' aiming to become the AI version of the classic math textbook 'Mathematics Fundamentals.'

Choi Min-gyu, CEO of Turing, an AI startup that created the math study application 'Math King' for students from 3rd grade elementary to 3rd grade high school, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 20th, "AI can serve as a math study assistant," adding, "It’s like having a math tutor who teaches more accurately than anyone else and never makes calculation mistakes, available anytime you need."

When you open and run the Math King app, it assesses your level through solving five problems. If there are any incorrect answers, the AI automatically generates similar problems for you to try again. If you get stuck, you can send an SOS to the AI. The greatest strength of Math King lies in its meticulous analysis of your problem-solving process, more so than any private tutor.

Whether you solve math problems continuously with a smart pen on a tablet PC or take a photo of problems solved on paper and send them, the AI automatically breaks down the steps and provides line-by-line evaluations of the solution process. Since the AI focuses intensively on the parts where the student is lacking, it eliminates the inefficiency of having to repeatedly solve problems you already know.

The math study application 'Suhak Daewang' meticulously analyzes the problems solved by students step by step.

The subscription fee is 240,000 KRW per year. This allows for personal math tutoring at a cost much lower than private tutoring fees. In one elementary school in Gyeonggi Province that adopted the Math King app, a report submitted to the education office showed that math scores improved for 4 out of 10 students, proving its effectiveness. Since its launch in 2018, the app has been downloaded 1.5 million times as of early this year, with 1.2 million registered users and over 50 million problem-solving data entries. More than 100 schools and academies use Math King.

CEO Choi said, "Since last year, the SAT, the U.S. college entrance exam, can be taken on an iPad," adding, "We need to help students become more comfortable studying math using digital devices and AI." Having graduated top of his class from Daegu Science High School and majored in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Seoul National University, Choi said, "Motivation is especially important in math."

He explained, "When solving difficult math problems, students may lose focus or get stuck, but we plan to include a feature that allows them to interact with AI so they can keep studying without giving up." Currently, the app explains the solution process through text, but they are preparing a feature that provides voice explanations as if a math tutor is right beside the student.

Since math is a universal language, they are also working on creating an English-based service to expand into the U.S. and India. CEO Choi said, "In 2023, we were selected as one of the 10 Korean startups by OpenAI at the 'OpenAI Matching Day,' and we are currently using the latest OpenAI AI models via cloud at a low cost to enhance the quality of Math King’s service," adding, "We believe we can be competitive in overseas markets as well."