AI Reading Coach Startup Ello Empowers Kids to Craft Their Own Stories

Ello, the AI reading companion designed to help children struggling with reading, has launched a new feature that engages kids in the story-creation process.

Titled "Storytime," this innovative, AI-driven tool empowers children to craft personalized tales by selecting from various settings, characters, and plots. For example, kids can create a story about Greg, a hamster starring in a talent show in outer space.

Children can choose from a myriad of prompts, resulting in countless story combinations. Similar to Ello's existing reading functionality, the cheerful blue elephant AI listens to kids as they read aloud, providing feedback on their pronunciation and missed words. If a child encounters a difficult word, they can simply tap the question mark icon for additional assistance.

Storytime features two reading modes: one where Ello and the child alternate reading, and a second, simplified mode designed for younger children, where Ello takes the lead in reading the majority of the story.

AI-assisted story creation for kids is not a new trend. In 2022, Amazon rolled out its version of an AI tool that generates animated stories based on various themes and settings, including underwater escapades and enchanted forests. Other startups like Scarlet Panda and Story Spark have also ventured into this space.

What sets Ello's Storytime apart is its unique advanced AI system that adapts to each child's responses, offering tailored phonics-based learning experiences. The company asserts that its technology surpasses OpenAI’s Whisper and Google Cloud’s speech API in effectiveness.

Furthermore, the Storytime experience is customized to align with the user's reading level and weekly lessons. For instance, if the focus of the week is practicing the "ch" sound, Ello will craft a story integrating words like "chair" and "cheer."

Ello's engineering team has prioritized safety, ensuring that all generated stories are age-appropriate for children. Extensive testing with teachers, kids, and reading specialists has shaped the initial offering, which currently allows children to select from a limited set of story options. However, the company plans to expand this feature in the future to encourage greater creativity and involvement from young users.

Catalin Voss, co-founder and CTO of Ello, explained, “If a teacher works together with a child to create an open story, they provide the framework through interactive dialogue. It’s similar to the way children sometimes need guidance; too many choices can feel overwhelming.”

In addition to Storytime, the company has recently launched its iOS app, broadening access to its AI reading coach beyond tablet devices, which included iPads and Android tablets.

With over 700,000 books read and countless families benefiting from its services, Ello is available at $14.99 per month. Families receiving government assistance can subscribe for only $2.99 per month. Additionally, Ello collaborates with low-income schools to provide the subscription at no cost and has made its collection of decodable children’s books available online for free.

Ello raises $15M to enhance child literacy through AI advancements.