Ello, an AI reading companion aimed at supporting children who struggle with reading, launched a new product on Monday that allows children to participate in the story creation process.
This new AI-powered feature, called “Storytime,” helps kids choose from settings, characters, and plots to create personalized stories. For example, there's the story of a hamster named Greg who performs in a talent show in space.
Children can choose from dozens of prompts, resulting in thousands of combinations.
Similar to Ello's regular read-aloud service, the AI companion (a bright blue, friendly elephant) listens to your child read aloud, evaluates your child's speech, and corrects any mispronunciations or missed words. . If your child doesn't know how to pronounce a particular word, you can tap the question mark icon for additional help.
Storytime has two reading options. One is a mode where Ello and the reader take turns, and the other is an easy mode for younger readers where Ello does most of the reading.
Image credit: Ello
Using AI to create stories for children is not a new concept. In 2022, Amazon introduced a unique AI tool that generates animated stories for kids based on a variety of themes and locations, including underwater adventures and magical forests. Other startups like Scarlet Panda and Story Spark are also joining the trend.
But Ello believes its Storytime service stands out because of its unique advanced AI system that adapts to children's responses and uses phonics-based strategies to teach critical reading skills. The company claims its technology is superior to OpenAI's Whisper and Google Cloud's voice API.
Additionally, the storytime experience is tailored to the user's reading level as well as the weekly lessons. For example, if Ello is helping a first grader practice the “ch” sound that week, the AI will create a story that strategically includes the words “chair” and “cheer.”
According to Ello, its engineering team has taken safety measures to ensure the stories are suitable for children. The company spent several months testing the product with teachers, children, and reading professionals. In early versions, children can only choose from a predetermined set of story options. However, the company envisions future iterations where kids are more involved in the process.
“When teachers create open stories with children, they provide: [building blocks] Through interactive dialogue. So I think it's going to be very similar to that,” Ello co-founder and CTO Catalin Voss told TechCrunch. “Kids like some level of guardrails. Carte blanche. Ask a 5-year-old, 'What do you want this story to be about?' And they get kind of overwhelmed. ”
In addition to Storytime, the company also released an iOS app a few months ago, extending the reach of its AI reading coach to even more users. Previously, it was limited to tablets like iPads, Android tablets, and Amazon.
With over 700,000 books read and serving tens of thousands of families, Ello costs $14.99 per month. Meanwhile, families receiving government assistance can get it for just $2.99 a month. Ello partners with low-income schools to offer subscriptions at no additional cost.
Additionally, Ello recently created a library of decodable children's books for free online.