If you’ve followed A.I. in recent years, you’ve likely encountered the name Andrew Ng. The founder Google Brain (now part of Google DeepMind) is among the most influential figures in applied A.I. and promoting A.I. literacy. In addition to teaching computer science at Stanford University, Ng has founded education platforms like Coursera and DeepLearning.AI to help professionals apply A.I. across industries. His latest initiative is Kira Learning, a startup aiming to transform K–12 education in the U.S. with A.I. agents. Backed by Ng’s AI Fund, Kira counts him as both investor and chairman.
“Teachers today are overloaded with repetitive tasks. A.I. agents can change that, and free up their time to give more personalized help to students,” Ng said in a statement.
Kira was co-founded by Andrea Pasinetti and Jagriti Agrawal, both longtime collaborators of Ng. The platform embeds A.I. directly into lesson planning, instruction, grading and reporting. Teachers can instantly generate standards-aligned lesson plans, monitor student progress in real time and receive automated intervention strategies when a student falls behind.
Students, in turn, receive on-demand tutoring tailored to their learning styles. A.I. agents adapt to each student’s pace and mastery level, while grading is automated with instant feedback—giving educators time to focus on teaching.
“Kira’s AI tutor works alongside teachers as an intelligent co-educator, adapting in real-time to each student’s learning style and emotional state,” Pasinetti, Kira’s CEO, told Observer. “It generates personalized practice problems, empowering teachers to deliver effective instruction, even in subjects they may not initially have deep expertise in.”
Administrators gain access to real-time analytics across classrooms and school districts, including data on engagement, outcomes and instructional quality. These insights support curriculum improvements and smarter resource allocation.
The platform currently supports STEM, humanities and career and technical education (CTE), and can process text, video, audio and images. It delivers immediate feedback on everything from essays to science experiments.
Kira’s key differentiator, according to CEO Andrea Pasinetti, lies in its architecture. While most learning platforms bolt on A.I. as an afterthought, Kira was purpose-built to integrate generative A.I. agents from the ground up. Schools can adopt it as a full learning management system (LMS) or embed its agents into existing platforms, allowing districts to customize based on their current infrastructure.
Pasinetti notes that traditional LMS providers have become stagnant under private equity ownership, focusing more on profits than innovation. Kira, by contrast, offers a streamlined, all-in-one A.I. solution that works within the realities of how schools already operate.
This flexible approach has driven early traction. The platform is already being deployed across U.S. school districts, including an statewide initiative in Tennessee, and is beginning to expand internationally.
“Tennessee’s statewide adoption has highlighted the importance of adaptability to diverse district resources, varying levels of tech maturity and distinct student needs,” Pasinetti said. “We ensure data is actionable by directly linking insights to specific, suggested interventions, while upholding strict privacy and always prioritizing transparency.”
Kira’s mission reflects Ng’s core philosophy: A.I. should enhance, not replace, human professionals—and personalized, high-quality education should be accessible to all.
Ng has authored more than 200 research papers in machine learning, robotics and related A.I. disciplines. As founder and CEO of Landing AI, he focuses on building practical tools for manufacturing and industrial automation.
Through AI Fund, Ng has backed over 40 A.I.-driven startups across healthcare, media and finance. Notable investments include Jivi, an India-based platform that assists doctors with diagnosis, treatment planning and administrative tasks; Podcastle, which streamlines podcast production with A.I.; and Octagon AI, a research tool for A.I.-powered investment analysis.
