질문 하나가 바꾼 세상: 디지털 시대, 함께 배우는 힘 l 이채린 클라썸 대표 | Chaerin Lee | TEDxSeoul

Key Concepts

• AI and Efficiency: The common perception of AI as a tool for efficiency, speed, automation, and individual productivity.
• Student-Led Initiative: The development of a "subject-specific chatroom" (과목별톡방) as a solution to communication and learning challenges in university.
• Digital Platform Development: The transition from a simple chatroom to a dedicated platform, incorporating user feedback and addressing limitations.
• Human-Centric AI: The realization that AI can foster deeper human connection and facilitate genuine communication, beyond mere efficiency.
• Technology as a Tool: The perspective that the impact of technology, including AI, is determined by how it is utilized.

Summary

The speaker begins by contrasting the common perception of AI as a tool for efficiency, speed, automation, and individual productivity with a different, perhaps opposite, perspective. This leads into a personal anecdote from their university days.

The University Challenge: Overcoming Hesitation in Learning

The speaker recounts their initial experience in university lectures, feeling nervous and overwhelmed by the unfamiliar environment and the presence of professors. A specific incident highlights this: during a lecture, the professor mentioned a problem with an answer of "0," but the speaker arrived at "3." Realizing they were wrong, they re-calculated and got "-1," leading to further confusion. The fear of asking questions due to potential embarrassment, being overlooked, or disrupting the class flow was a significant barrier. This hesitation extended beyond the classroom, with the speaker often refraining from sending emails to professors due to the effort of crafting polite and formal messages.

The "Subject-Specific Chatroom" Initiative

To overcome these challenges, the speaker, who was a class representative, proposed a student initiative called "subject-specific chatrooms" (과목별톡방). The idea was to create a dedicated chatroom for each subject where students could ask questions, answer each other, and discuss topics. Professors and teaching assistants could also participate. Initially, the chatrooms were used for simple questions like attendance checks and exam announcements. However, as time progressed, more in-depth questions emerged, such as seeking alternative problem-solving methods.

This initiative quickly gained traction. Starting with four chatrooms, it expanded to over 40 subjects within the computer science department in the following semester. It was then benchmarked and adopted by other departments like mathematics and industrial engineering, and eventually spread to other universities voluntarily.

A pivotal moment occurred when a student who had transferred to the computer science department expressed gratitude, stating they wouldn't have survived the semester without the subject-specific chatroom due to their lack of existing connections. This reinforced the speaker's belief in the initiative's significant impact.

Limitations of Chatrooms and the Birth of a Platform

Despite the success, the speaker identified several limitations with the chatroom format:

• Questions and answers were mixed, leading to questions getting lost.
• Managing notifications was difficult, either receiving too many or too few.
• Unwanted advertisements from new members were a problem.
• Monitoring conversations to find relevant answers was time-consuming.

This led to the decision to build a dedicated platform. The speaker, involved in both student government and a development club, ultimately chose to start a company to ensure the platform could be provided to more people with high quality and sustainability.

Developing the Platform: Incorporating User Insights

The team began by interviewing hundreds of users of the subject-specific chatrooms to understand their pain points and the advantages of the chatroom system. These insights were then integrated into the platform's design.

Key Features and Design Decisions:

• Anonymity Feature: To address the psychological barrier of asking "stupid" questions or fearing judgment from peers, an anonymity feature was introduced. However, concerns about irresponsible behavior and malicious comments were raised. Through user surveys, it was found that the psychological barrier was similar whether students were anonymous to each other but not to professors/TAs, or anonymous to everyone. Therefore, the platform allowed students to choose anonymity while professors and TAs could still see real names. Surprisingly, students preferred this, as they wanted to be recognized by professors/TAs for their efforts while avoiding peer judgment.
• "I'm Curious Too" (저도 궁금해요) Feature: This button allows users to indicate their interest in a question. If a user clicks this, they receive an automatic notification when an answer is posted. Questions with many "I'm Curious Too" clicks are highlighted as popular questions, notifying all students and encouraging faster responses. This feature helped users realize they weren't alone in their confusion and boosted their confidence to ask further questions. The speaker also observed that users increasingly opted for real names over anonymity over time.

The Impact of the Platform

The platform received positive feedback. One professor initially skeptical due to existing Q&A boards, later expressed how indispensable the platform had become, with hundreds of questions being asked in the remaining period. Professors frequently commented, "Students weren't lacking questions; they just couldn't ask them."

Remarkably, students also became active proponents. A student body president candidate even made the platform's adoption their number one campaign promise and, upon election, actively worked to implement it. This demonstrated students taking ownership and driving the adoption of a digital community built for them.

The platform expanded globally, being used in the US, Korea, and other countries. It was also adopted by various companies as an enterprise learning platform, fostering communities of mutual learning and support.

AI Integration: Beyond Efficiency

A new challenge arose with the increase in communication: duplicate questions. To address this, AI was integrated. When a question is asked, the AI searches existing data for answers. If an answer exists, it's provided. If not, the AI can synthesize information from previous answers. Crucially, the AI also provides links to the original sources (comments, attachments, announcements) for verification, making the process highly efficient.

However, the speaker observed an unexpected user behavior: instead of communication ending after the AI provided an answer, users would often click on the provided source links and engage in further communication. This led to the realization that AI could not only provide efficiency but also serve as a new starting point for communication and human connection.

AI and Genuine Communication

A more recent revelation came with the development of a content recommendation feature based on learning. In corporate settings, annual growth plans are often created with team leaders, but these can become 형식적 (formalistic) and lack substance due to time constraints and uncertainty.

The new AI-powered feature involves a conversational approach. Users interact with the AI, discussing their desired growth directions. The AI then recommends necessary skills and relevant internal or external courses. While initially seen as an efficient way to manage growth plans, especially in a rapidly changing world, the response from users was different.

Users appreciated the "sincerity" that the AI brought. They felt empowered to speak more honestly, comparing it to search engine history sometimes revealing more about a person than they themselves realize. This experience highlighted that AI's value extends beyond efficiency and automation to eliciting people's true intentions and initiating genuine conversations.

Conclusion: Technology as a Tool for Connection

The speaker concludes by reflecting on their seven-year journey. They acknowledge that technology and AI can be used to create a world of efficiency, automation, and individual speed. However, they also emphasize the potential to build a warm and supportive community where people help each other.

The speaker points out the dual nature of technology: it brings benefits like global communication and life-saving applications, but also negative impacts like online harm and cyberbullying. They argue against viewing these as inherent, unavoidable aspects of technological advancement. Instead, they propose that the outcomes are a result of how we choose to use technology as a tool.

In conclusion, the speaker poses a question to the audience: "What kind of world do you want to create with technology and AI? And is that the world you want to live in?"