New AI platform being launched to support overstretched teachers

Global digital product consultancy, hedgehog lab, has today announced it has been selected to design and build a new platform for TeachMateAI, a unique artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solution that supports overstretched teachers by taking on many of the heavy lifting tasks they perform on a daily basis.

Launched last year, TeachMateAI offers a suite of over 115 AI-powered tools that support teachers with everything from streamlining lesson planning and report writing to creating powerpoint presentations instantly. Already used by over 200,000 teachers, TeachMateAI saves educators on average over 10 hours a week, allowing them to redirect that time back into teaching, or to take a well-deserved break.

To support its rapid growth, hedgehog lab will work with TeachMateAI to design and build a bespoke new platform, with a focus on improving scalability and new tool integration, as well as optimising the user experience. The new TeachMateAI platform is expected to launch early 2025.

Sarat Pediredla, CEO at hedgehog lab, said: “TeachMateAI is showing the world how AI can play a hugely positive role in the future of education and is already benefiting thousands of teachers and children.

“But the product is still only scratching the surface in terms of its potential. We’re so excited to be partnering with TeachMateAI to deliver a truly enterprise level solution that will take this revolutionary idea to the next level”.

Before embarking on the full platform redesign and rebuild, hedgehog lab will conduct an initial discovery and research phase, involving a user experience (UX)/technical audit and interviews with multiple customers to identify the best possible implementation of the solution and its tools.

Ian Cunningham, cheif technology officer at TeachMateAI, said: “Since launching early last year, we’ve seen incredible growth for our platform.

“The sheer number of tools that are integrated within the platform makes us unique in the education tech market. However, because of our rapid growth, we have quickly reached the limits of what we’re able to achieve supported by our current platform. hedgehog lab is the perfect partner to help deliver the highly scalable solution we need to realise the next phase of TeachMateAI’s growth.”

According to a survey conducted by the National Education Union, almost 50 per cent of teachers in England believe their workload is unmanageable, with some reporting that they had turned to antidepressants to cope. Another survey from the National Education Union found 44 per cent of teachers were planning to quit within five years because of unmanageable workloads.

Alongside its work with teachers and schools, TeachMateAI is advising the government on ways that it can leverage AI to tackle pain points in the education system.