Learning needs friction
Custom-built conversational simulations for students to practice any skill
My students tell me they don’t want friction. But they respond to it.
Once I make things difficult, they lean in a little more.
But there’s a caveat. Too difficult and they’re gone for good. Too easy and it’s pointless.
Mike Kentz and I have been building something exciting in this space: AI Friction Labs, a platform that gives educators the power of designing productive friction for their specific course content and students. Because helpful AI is the problem.
Our goal is to address two problems:
AI cheating (redesigning assessments to preserve academic integrity)
Building durable skills for students
We build conversational simulations that place students in real-life scenarios tied to the academic use case and ask them to navigate resistance, skepticism, or confusion, just like they would encounter in the professional world.
Educators get immediate visibility into the dialogue and can evaluate using our Cognitive Audit and Teachable Moments features.
We’re tired of AI being a shortcut. We want it to be a mirror that shows students and teachers exactly where the work needs to happen.
Join us for a free demo Wednesday, August 19th from 1-2 EST
Experience how structured interactions make thinking visible again. Participate in a custom simulation, see a live Friction Bot in action, and explore what assessment can look like when the transcript becomes the evidence.
