How Microsoft Is Building AI for Learning, Not Just Answers with Deirdre Quarnstrom

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If we interviewed 100 teachers, I don't know if any of them would say that they went into teaching in order to do their Sunday evening planning tasks. And so we sort of look at that challenge of how can we give them back more time? How can we offload or automate some of that drudgery that comes with the teaching profession? And that's affecting well-being. Our educators globally are just under such intense pressure. And so anything that we can do on the technology side to free up time so that they can have spend it with students with families providing feedback directly is a win and that's where we're building momentum within educator communities

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Welcome to EdTech Insiders. We are here today with Deirdre Kornstrom. She leads Microsoft's AI-enhanced learning product portfolio and strategy. She started her work in education bringing Minecraft education to students and educators around the world. We're definitely going to talk about that in depth today. And she also serves as a director on the board of the Block by Block Foundation and is a founding partner and advisor at Reaction, a social impact VC fund. Deirdre Kornstrom, welcome to EdTech Insiders.

Thank you. And thank you for covering these important and emerging topics and bringing an educator lens. It's so important.

Thank you. I really appreciate that. I mean, I just feel like the education technology field is so sprawling. It's filled with such interesting people, such interesting projects, so many overlaps. And of course, you know, Microsoft is one of the absolute most ensconced players in technology and education all around the world. I've just been looking at some of the statistics. It's just incredible how widespread Microsoft's reach is in schools globally. So I'm sure you've thought about so many different aspects of learning and education. I'm looking forward to jumping in today. Before we get into the actual questions, give us a little bit of your background about your working at Minecraft and Education. Microsoft, obviously, bought Minecraft and it's one of their big education initiatives. But give us a little overview of your education story.

Yeah, my path to education was definitely unusual. So I came in through gaming. I spent about 10 years in the Xbox organization of Microsoft. And