Ouro: Credential A Billion People in a Day
AI Credentialing of Learners through Demonstrated Skills
AI Credentialing of Learners through Demonstrated Skills = Accelerating Access to College
Core Idea: Disrupting Credit Issuance through Demonstrated Skills
The future is knowing what facts and skills people actually know, no matter how they prove what they know.
At the core, universities are designed to credential knowledge. Right now, we have a system that is human-to-human credentialing. Soon we could have AI agents able to credential a student. One way is that the AI could interview the student and judge the student’s knowledge like a test. The biggest opportunity is based on past online history. For example: login to your Minecraft account and the AI will assess what you know about architecture, engineering, design, and game dynamics. The same is true across many other platforms where users have demonstrated knowledge, like blogging platforms demonstrating writing skills. These AI agents can then determine if a user is verified for a new type of credit – a SLC (Statistically Likely Credential). This is different than a Credential. It signifies that it’s highly likely the person can be credentialed. If the student wishes to get an accredited credential, they can use their SLC as a right to attempt to test out of coursework.
The point is that we can build AI agents to prove the latent knowledge of humans and credential work that has already been done. Like Programs for Experienced Learners, but for the AI era. How does a modern university provide credentials to the 43% of 15-21 year olds kids who play Minecraft with a structural engineering 101 college credit that sets them on a pathway to college. That one free credit ready and waiting may be the motivation to dive into a full degree. a modern university could conceivably provide One Billion Statistically Likely Credits or more inside of a calendar year.
More fun: Can a modern university provide a music degree to all Grammy winners?
Key Partnerships — Hypothetical (!!)
Minecraft (Owned by Microsoft)
Concept: Leverage Minecraft as a platform to identify and credential engineering and design skills.
Implementation:
AI Analysis: Use AI to analyze students' Minecraft history, identifying complex builds and problem-solving activities equivalent to Engineering 101 coursework.
Credential Issuance: Issue college credits for demonstrated skills, allowing students to earn credits for their Minecraft achievements.
Benefits:
Skill Recognition: Validates real-world skills in a familiar and engaging environment.
Early College Entry: Facilitates early college entry by providing students with academic credits.
Student Engagement: Increases engagement by recognizing and rewarding skills demonstrated in popular platforms.
Medium / Substack
Concept: Use Medium to identify and credential writing skills.
Implementation:
AI Validation: Implement AI to evaluate past Medium posts, assessing writing quality, coherence, and academic merit.
Credit Issuance: Award college credits for high-quality writing, equivalent to introductory college writing courses.
Benefits:
Writing Proficiency: Recognizes and rewards students' writing proficiency.
Accelerated Learning: Enables students to gain academic credits for their demonstrated writing skills.
Increased Motivation: Encourages students to produce high-quality writing by offering tangible academic rewards.
Adobe / Photoshop
Concept: Review Adobe Cloud to analyze design skills.
Implementation:
AI Validation: Implement AI to evaluate past artwork.
Credit Issuance: Award college credits for high-quality art, equivalent to introductory college art courses.
Benefits:
Technical Proficiency: Recognizes and rewards students' technical proficiency at using digital tools.
Stylistic Performance: Can the student create many styles in many techniques?
Reference / Allusion: Does the student reference other artists? Make allusions? Stylistic references that show higher level understanding?
Data-Driven Impact
Research shows that students with a few college credits are more likely to continue their education and earn additional credits, underscoring the importance of early credit accumulation.
Detailed Business Model
Scale and Reach
Target: Impact 1 million learners by credentialing demonstrated skills on popular platforms.
Implementation Phases:
Phase 1: Establish partnerships with Minecraft (Microsoft) and Medium.
Phase 2: Develop and deploy AI tools to analyze and validate student work.
Phase 3: Roll out credentialing programs, starting with pilot groups and scaling up based on success.
AI and Technology Integration
AI Tools: Develop AI algorithms to scrub Minecraft histories and evaluate Medium posts.
Data Privacy: Ensure robust data privacy mea modern universityres are in place to protect students' work and personal information.
Staffing and Resources
Technical Team: Hire AI specialists, data scientists, and engineers to develop and maintain the credentialing tools.
Partnership Managers: Appoint dedicated staff to manage relationships with key partners and oversee program implementation.
Academic Advisors: Engage academic professionals to validate AI assessments and ensure academic rigor.
Budget and Funding Request
To realize our vision of disrupting credit issuance and impacting 1 million learners, we request funding to:
Innovation Lab: Form a world-class team and advisors and provide ample resources to design and market test prototypes.
Scale and Capitalize AI Tools: Invest in the development and deployment of AI technology for skill validation, as well as hardware and software.
Build Partnerships: Allocate resources for establishing and maintaining partnerships with major platforms.
Program Implementation: Fund the rollout and scaling of the credentialing program.
Conclusion
We can envision a future where a modern university + Ouro results in 1 billion people receiving 10 billion college-like credits, which convert to 100 million actual college credits.