New App Socratic Shows You How to Do Your Homework

Scanners on phones have come a long way. From shortcuts to sites with QR codes to scanning food bar codes for nutrition information, the camera on our phone is incredibly powerful and allows apps to process information. Homework Help App Socratic took it a step further, and lets you take pictures of a problem that’s stumping you for help working towards the answer.

Socratic is designed to be used with all sorts of different subjects, from World History to scientific conundrums, but where the app really shines is Math. With other subjects, Socratic basically does an intelligent google search and finds more information on the issue at hand, but its capabilities are strongest when it comes to solving equations. Simply scan the equation that’s giving you trouble, and Socratic not only gives you the answer, but also gives you a step by step explanation of how to arrive at said answer.

There are obviously some concerns with an AI app that does your homework for you, but Socratic seems committed to making their app more of a learning experience than one that encourages cheating. Sure, it’s possible to just write the answer to your equation down once Socratic solves it for you, but the developers hope that the step-by-step explanation of the process is the main takeaway from the experience. With on-demand help for problems that stump students that include an explanation of concepts, hopefully students will be able to apply what they’ve learned during exam time.

Regardless of your stance on the app’s morality, Socratic is an exciting demonstration of how far AI has come. We have a computer in our pocket, and we can now use our phones to augment our learning.

Download Socratic on iTunes here