AI Tutoring Gets a Makeover: $11M for VideoTutor & Lots of Hallucinations

In what can only be described as the sort of financial bravado that would make even the most hardened investor choke on their morning Earl Grey, YZi Labs has decided to throw its weight behind a brave new venture-an educational platform known as VideoTutor. And by ‘brave,’ we mean they’ve plunked down a hefty $11 million in what is being hailed as the dawn of AI tutoring-because nothing says ‘private education for the masses’ like a Silicon Valley startup swallowing cash like a fish in a river of money.

This brainchild, conjured into existence by Kai Zhao-who’s all of 20 years young-has taken it upon itself to transform any dull, dreary question into a personalized show-and-tell session, complete with animations by the dozen. The platform’s already catering to a dollop of 20,000 eager learners scattered across the globe, which, frankly, is no small feat when you consider that some of those students are probably still trying to figure out how to turn on their computers.

And what’s at the heart of this scheme? An ambitious effort to make high-quality tutoring so affordable and available that even the kid who once asked Uncle Bob for help with fractions might finally get the hang of it-assuming Uncle Bob can figure out ChatGPT, that is. This capital injection signifies a new chapter for YZi Labs, as it dives headlong into the murky waters of AI-driven education, undoubtedly hoping to avoid the same pitfalls as earlier ventures into similar waters-though the jury’s still out on whether they’ll succeed or just become another cautionary tale.

The real question, of course, is whether VideoTutor can keep its AI from going all Hallucination on us-because, trust me, when those animated lessons start spouting facts that even a goldfish would scoff at, that’s when the fun begins. Still, with a splash of cash and a dollop of ambition, this outfit aims to make education less of a chore and more of a laugh-a tall order, but then again, in the world of tech startups, what isn’t?

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2025-10-30 10:39