16 comments

  • tempodox 42 minutes ago
    This should be good training. Because the kids will encounter many, many more LLMs that are wrong on purpose, for the sake of propaganda and fraud. Teaching them early on that they can’t trust the machines is a net positive.
    • thanouil1411 11 minutes ago
      I share the same viewpoint. Thank you. The education systems will change, and have been constantly changing. Lathoa tries to keep an equilibrium here, or at least keep something alive..our brain..
  • demibabs 9 hours ago
    Pls get rid of the “critical thinking app (dot) ages 10-14” thing at the top of the hero. It’s one of the most obvious signs a site was generated by an LLM. It also seems like the text on the site (and your post here) is AI-generated, which doesn’t inspire confidence.

    I’m a fan of the idea behind this, though. Cool project.

    • hyperhello 7 hours ago
      I've come around. I think there's really nothing wrong with guiding AI to develop a speculative, experimental, personal project. You're going to see rough edges, but guess what? You see rough edges when you write your own code, too. The process of fixing them is the same process either way: see and adjust.
      • demibabs 6 hours ago
        Not exactly a personal project, though. This is a SaaS with a registered trademark and multiple paid plans, up to $150 per year.
        • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
          it is a paid product indeed, but you can try it via the free plan forever. Also new accounts get 7 days of the Parent plan with no card.
        • hyperhello 5 hours ago
          That's orthogonal. Anyone can make a LLC, file a patent, apply for a trademark, do it any way you want.
    • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
      glad that you like the idea! Indeed Lathoa is built with a lot of help from Claude. Thanks for the suggestion regarding the pill on the homepage.
      • Yizahi 21 minutes ago
        You are in a violation of GDPR because you don't show "allow all" and "decline all" buttons equally. I won't look up the exact regulation quote, but it is somewhere there.

        Also, why do you need to store personal information of the users in the first place? A SAAS operator can handle user payments just fine without any extra data stored to require an additional consent, because storing payment status doesn't require it by law.

    • OutThisLife 7 hours ago
      To be fair the entire site screams Claude
      • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
        Yes that is fair. It has been built with Claude's assistance.
      • nottorp 3 hours ago
        Yes, it may help kids learn math but it also teaches them to speak like a LLM.
        • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
          Reading an AI generated text and discovering that is generated is a skill. A skill that the pedagogical system from any country should promote. Lathoa does not teach, but it is a fun way to work out your critical thinking skill.
    • latexr 4 hours ago
      > Pls get rid of the “critical thinking app (dot) ages 10-14” thing at the top of the hero. It’s one of the most obvious signs a site was generated by an LLM.

      If you’ve made something with an LLM, it should be obvious you did (preferably with an outright admission, though, not by leaving artefacts for people to deduce from) and not try to hide it.

      Either you believe building with LLMs is OK or you don’t. If you do think it’s OK, then own up to it. If you don’t think it’s OK, don’t do it.

  • __MatrixMan__ 9 hours ago
    Reminds me of LIGO, which injected fake results until the humans got good at handling them, then later announced that one of the results wasn't fake. Seems at first like an upside-down way to discover gravitational waves, but I think it's a pattern worth exploring in more cases.

    To paraphrase Doctorow:

    > This is why the TSA are some of the most water-bottle-findingest **ers, but regularly overlook firearms when a red team takes one through. Humans do not stay vigilant to signals which almost never happen.

    • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
      This is why not all cases are wrong. Too few of those and kids will learn to always claim an error; too many and they will stop looking. There is a balance..
  • its-summertime 11 hours ago
    I think speed would be irrelevant, or perhaps would discourage deep engagement with the problems.

    I think presenting it as AI can be wrong is not as valuable as presenting it as developing the ability to question what one is told. (e.g. Verizon Math)

    • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
      regarding the speed comment, yes it is removed because eventually it would teach rushing. Thanks!
    • thanouil1411 11 hours ago
      indeed I agree with you however studies have shown that kids have access to interfaces to chat with an LLM from a young age, and the traction this technology is taking is increasing. Indeed verizon math seems more whole when it comes to topic variety.
  • bbtalk 3 hours ago
    The idea is interesting, but generally, I'd still prefer that children don't use too many electronic devices. The real physical world is better..
  • sinuhe69 3 hours ago
    I like the idea. But it’s wrong on today problem (movie started at 3:45 and lasts 90 min. When it will end?) - first choice 3:45 + 90 min was rejected by the program! The two other choices are even more problematic!

    And I think that highlights the problem with AI tutor: no definite answer because no epistemic understanding. And that can undermine the trust in the system.

    • thanouil1411 45 minutes ago
      The steps are Errol's chain of thought. The user is called to pick the first wrong statement that leads to a wrong result.
    • tempodox 47 minutes ago
      > And that can undermine the trust in the system.

      That's not a bug, it’s a feature. Trust in the system would be severely misplaced.

      • thanouil1411 43 minutes ago
        how so? can you please provide an example?
  • lazyasciiart 8 hours ago
    This is a category of exercise that is used in Khan Academy and in classroom math, yes.

    https://learningfocused.com/blogs/lesson-planning/unlocking-...

    • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
      Yes it is error analysis. However Errol critically responds back to the user's explanation for the error, with a helpful learning tone.
  • lemming 10 hours ago
    This is an interesting idea, but I need more than one sample to get a feel for it. I did the example on the homepage, and then one more that it linked to, and both had extremely basic errors my kid would have no problem with (currently doing Math Academy prealgebra, approx year 9/8th grade level). I'd suggest allowing people to try more than one very basic error.
    • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
      Thanks! You may sign up and get on the free plan for three cases per day (only the obvious level). You can subscribe to any plan and get a 7 day free trial of that plan also. cancel any time within the trial period.
  • eichin 9 hours ago
    Reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAMA_Calculator - a calculator that won't reveal the precise answer until you supply an estimate (physical hardware in 2014, I think the current version is an app.) The website makes claims about the pedagogic value, but I didn't see any actual citations at https://qama.world/the-science/ just "everyone knows" kind of things... but if they had research supporting it that would probably inform your approach?
    • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
      I will read this thoroughly thanks!
  • Superfish57 6 hours ago
    On the full problem solving screen, the little robot mascot bounces up and down. However, the shadow moves along with the robot. It looks a bit odd and I think it might work better anyways if the shadow stays in place and shrinks/grows according to the robots bouncing.Other than that, seems really well put together.
  • darepublic 7 hours ago
    I did not understand "today's case" right away. I thought you were supposed to answer which of the three cards was wrong. Didn't realize it was showing a series of steps the student worked through. As someone else pointed out, khan does have questions like this
    • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
      yes yes these three cards are steps of one one solution, top to bottom; similarly to a way of thought. Some may sound unnecessary or silly, but that is up to the kid's judgement. Khan has these too, but Lathoa has a different presentation style.
  • nanis 11 hours ago
    > if she finds an error to gain more XP

    What does this mean?

    • thanouil1411 11 hours ago
      while solving a lathoa case, if you spot the error you get back an amount of points. if you score also the explanation exhibiting your understanding you gain more points.
      • blindflag 8 hours ago
        But what are the points used for?
        • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
          XP moves a kid up the detective ranks, from Rookie to Sherlock. At 2000XP a leaderboard unlocks, but only if a parent turns it on. Nothing to buy there..
        • tancop 3 hours ago
          Getting kids addicted to something useful.
  • satisfice 12 hours ago
    It helps us practice critical thinking. What it doesn’t do is help us practice knowing WHEN to use critical thinking.
    • genxy 12 hours ago
      Easy, all the damn time.
    • thanouil1411 12 hours ago
      interesting perspective...when and how much also is a skill someone should have.
      • thanouil1411 2 hours ago
        Not all cases are wrong though. One in five is correct and the "Looks correct" scores also and gets XP. So it does practise knowing when not to doubt..a little..
  • 77rushi77 6 hours ago
    [dead]
  • ahmedezat_katte 9 hours ago
    [flagged]
  • jordanekay 12 hours ago
    [dead]