The landscape of education is rapidly evolving, and AI is playing a pivotal role in reshaping how people learn. Connor Zwick, CEO and founder of Speak Inc., believes that the current state of AI in education is similar to where Amazon was when it first launched as an online bookstore in 1995. "No one could have imagined today’s world then," he says. "Now, we're at a similar point with AI in education. While the future is hard to predict, a world where everyone has an AI teacher who knows them best and provides equal opportunities will arrive."
Speak Inc., the AI English learning app, first launched in Korea in 2019. The company focuses on conversation practice through real-life dialogues with AI. OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, was an early investor, and the company became a unicorn in 2024 with a valuation of 1 billion USD. Today, Speak offers seven languages—English, Spanish, Mandarin, and more—across over 40 countries, with more than 15 million cumulative downloads.
Despite being an early investor, OpenAI's ChatGPT has now become a competitor. As AI becomes more widespread, methods for studying English conversation using voice modes are being shared online, and AI-based English learning apps are proliferating. However, Speak continues to grow, surpassing 100 million USD in annual recurring revenue late last year.
Zwick describes Speak's competitive edge as an "AI teacher." He explains, "General-purpose models are not specialized solutions. However, we have the opportunity to create something entirely different: a one-on-one personalized tutor, or 'AI teacher,' tailored to individual levels. A truly good teacher identifies what a learner knows and doesn’t know and teaches accordingly."
Speak delves deeply into specific areas based on individual learning levels. First, it uses a dedicated model specialized in pronunciation correction and understanding what learners intend to say. Second, an "agent" creates and follows personalized study plans for each learner. Third, fluency assessment is key. The core system is a "knowledge graph" that tracks what users know and don’t know by observing all their utterances. "We prioritize learning efficacy over usage time," Zwick said. "Previously, we only tracked internal metrics to see if users were following along, but starting from the second half of this year, we plan to share these metrics with users." He added, "Like the Elo rating in chess, users will see their scores rise after an hour of study and confirm their return on investment (ROI)."
Recently, Speak has expanded into business services. "Speak for Business" provides English content tailored to industries and job roles, in addition to existing curricula. According to Speak, over 500 organizations globally, including eight of the top 10 major Korean employers, use the service.
Zwick himself is learning Spanish via Speak. "I’m no different from Koreans learning English," he said. "I studied for over five years in school but only knew vocabulary and grammar, not how to speak. Using Speak, I’ve built confidence to speak directly without translating in my head." He recommended setting an alarm before bedtime and using the hands-free mode, which works even when the app is closed, to incorporate learning into routines like commutes or walks.
Zwick had never been to Korea before founding the company but famously chose it as the first market due to the high demand for English education. Seven years after launching in Korea, he reflected, "Starting in highly competitive Korea forced us to be more intense, which is why we’ve reached this level."
He added, "In the past, learning was heavily constrained by economic factors, but now 4 billion out of 8 billion people resolve their curiosity through books or YouTube. In the future, AI tutors that know you best and help you become a better version of yourself will coach all aspects of life—personality, professional skills, and language." He concluded, "Just as the world’s wealthiest use the same iPhones as us, our vision is to provide high-quality education equally to everyone."
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