Einstein is a new AI tool that can watch lecture videos, read essays, write articles, take quizzes, and basically take your course for you.
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A new AI tool called Einstein is pushing the boundaries of automation in education. Created by startup Companion, Einstein does more than generate answers to homework questions. It connects directly to a student’s Canvas account and completes coursework on the student’s behalf.
According to its creators, Einstein operates through its own virtual computer. He can open a browser, browse course pages, watch course videos, read PDFs and essays, write articles, take quizzes, and post answers in discussion forums. Once logged into a student’s account, the system can monitor deadlines and automatically submit assignments.
Unlike chatbots that respond when prompted, Einstein functions more like a digital replacement for a human student. After installation, it can run in the background with little continuous typing.
“Students are already using AI. We’re just giving them a better version of it,” Companion CEO Advait Paliwal said in a statement.
Learn more: “Machines cannot think for you. » How learning is evolving in the age of AI
How Einstein Works
Einstein connects to Canvas, a learning management system widely used in middle and high schools. From there, he reviews the course materials and identifies assigned tasks. AI can analyze lecture recordings, summarize readings, and generate written work that matches assignment requirements.
The company claims the system produces original essays with quotes and contextual discussion posts. It can also track new announcements and upcoming deadlines. In practice, this means that a student can enroll in an online course and let Einstein handle much, if not all, of the required work.
The technology draws on advances in generative AI, browser automation, and so-called autonomous agents that can take multi-step actions on behalf of their human counterpart. While many students are already using AI tools to brainstorm ideas or check grammarEinstein goes beyond assistance to full automation.
“Our companions are not simple chatbots,” Paliwal said. “Everyone has access to a full virtual computer with a persistent file system and Internet access, so they can actually do things on your behalf. This makes ChatGPT look like a toy.”
A crossroads for academic integrity?
Einstein’s release comes at a time when schools are still adjusting to the widespread use of AI. Since the advent of powerful linguistic models, educators have debated how to distinguish legitimate support from academic dishonesty. Most policies focus on whether students use AI to help them write or edit their work, or whether it does it entirely for them.
Einstein complicates this conversation.
If an AI logs in as a student and completes homework independently, the question shifts from assistance to substitution. Does the tool essentially take the place of the student?
However, not all education stakeholders are sounding the alarm.
“I think the Canvas teaching method already has a propensity for cheating. This change, I think, will ultimately be positive because it will force educators to rethink courses so they don’t rely on virtual homework,” said Nicholas DiMaggio, a doctoral student at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a teaching assistant for a course on consumer behavior this term.
DiMaggio said this could prompt institutions to instead emphasize in-person work, oral exams or project-based learning. Beyond this one tool, schools will need to decide whether to ban these tools outright, integrate them under strict guidelines, or rethink how learning is measured in the age of AI.
Learn more: How to use AI to get better grades – without cheating
