Lead With AI — Episode Summary

Episode Title: Undergrad Founder's AI Personalizes Learning for 3 Different Learning Styles
Host: Dr. Tamara Nall
Guest: Afon Sheikh Sarab (Founder, Journey Next)
Release Date: August 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Dr. Tamara Nall invites Afon Sheikh Sarab, an undergraduate founder of Journey Next, to share the story behind his AI-driven learning platform. Journey Next adapts teaching content in real time to fit each student’s unique learning style, pace, and goals. Together, they dive into the motivations for creating more personalized education, the technology powering the platform, challenges around AI ethics, and the vision for a future where learning is accessible and joyful for all.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Motivation Behind Journey Next

[01:44–04:39]

• Afon’s Experience as a Student:
  Afon describes his frustration with rote learning—the tendency to memorize for tests, then forget material quickly. He emphasizes the need to shift education from recall-based assessment to true understanding.

  “The education system... is testing our ability to recall things rather than understanding things. ... We want to make sure that every single child understands things at its core for what they are.” — Afon [02:32]

• Individual Learning Preferences:
  Students have diverse learning styles (visual, audio, hands-on), yet traditional education takes a one-size-fits-all approach.

• AI as the Great Enabler:
  The goal: leverage AI to tailor learning to the individual, making education more effective and enjoyable.

2. How Journey Next Works

[05:05–09:46]

• Personalized Learning Paths:
  Users choose subject, current expertise level, and goal (curiosity, job-focus, expertise). They select preferred learning format (text, audio, video) and style (simplified, expert-level, breakdowns).

  “Some people love by reading, some people love by listening... everyone has a different preference of learning.” — Afon [02:53]

• Dynamic Content Generation:
  Every course is generated based on selections; users can request further adaptation at any time, and the AI adjusts subsequent modules accordingly.

  “It’s like a tutor who is continuously learning the ways that you learn and [adjusting] its content for you.” — Afon [06:36]

• Course Structure:
  Courses are broken into 12 chapters, each with 3 modules. For quick summaries, Afon suggests using something simple like ChatGPT instead.

3. Memorable Moments and Platform Features

[10:43–12:23]

• Founder's "Chills" Moment:
  Afon recalls the excitement of building the platform’s collaborative learning tool, which allowed friends to share notes and track each other’s progress—addressing the major issue of course completion rates.

  “Doing things with your friends is just one of the most exciting things.” — Afon [11:37]

• Social Learning Impact:
  Dr. Nall affirms the power of collaborative study, connecting it to her own experience at Georgia Tech.

4. Ethics and Human-in-the-Loop

[13:53–16:18]

• Guardrails Against AI Hallucination:
  Afon notes that 74.2% of content online is now AI-generated and stresses the danger of “webs of lies” from unchecked AI. He describes how Journey Next employs content reviewers and safeguards to ensure output is factual and high-quality.

  “AI hallucinates a lot... and is very confident in telling lies.” — Afon [14:34] “Making sure that AI generated accurate results was like very, very important for us from the start.” — Afon [15:00]

• Maintaining Human Oversight:
  The platform incorporates human review, and Afon speaks to the importance of ethical AI development even as a student founder.

5. Vision for the Future

[16:31–18:29]

• Continuous, Joyful Learning:
  Afon’s dream is for every child worldwide to love learning—not see it as a burden.

  “Learning is a continuous, like, journey of a life. That's why it's called Journey Next.” — Afon [16:50]

• Global Reach Through AI:
  AI’s potential to make quality education accessible in any language, for anyone, anywhere.

  “No matter where they are, [everyone] can learn things around the world.” — Afon [17:42]

• AI as the Great Equalizer:
  Dr. Nall celebrates how AI can level the playing field, allowing innovators across the globe to showcase their talent.

6. Getting Started with Journey Next

[18:54–19:31]

• Challenge for Listeners:
  Pick a topic you've always wanted to learn but found intimidating, and try Journey Next for a personalized experience.

  “Go and check the platform and see. Would you like it? Check it out. I think you’re gonna love it the way it tailors things to you.” — Afon [18:56]

• Platform URL:
  JourneyNext app

7. Reflections on Entrepreneurship and Leadership

[20:24–23:39]

• On Luck and Failure:
  Afon shares that luck is something you create through persistent effort and failing often. Success comes from embracing the journey—including its failures.

  “The thinking that luck is something that you have to create... The more you fail, the probability of you being lucky increases.” — Afon [20:24]

• On Building a Team:
  Leaders must inspire, find passionate collaborators, and align everyone to a shared mission. Optimism, not pessimism, drives innovation.

8. Bonus Rapid Fire Segment

[23:39–27:15]

• Most Overhyped Tech Trend:
  Cryptocurrency meme coins—not core blockchain technology.
• Most Underhyped AI Breakthrough:
  Agentic applications—AI agents that autonomously accomplish tasks and are often underutilized.
• Book Recommendation:
  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller — a story about self-discovery and living an intentional life.

  “If your life was a movie at the end, would you even watch it?” — Afon [24:57]

• Bold AI Prediction:
  AI won’t replace teachers but will make them even better at guiding, correcting, and inspiring students.

Resources & Connect

Journey Next: JourneyNext app
Afon Sheikh Sarab:

• Website: afonshikhshurab.com
• LinkedIn & Twitter: Search by name
• Open to emails for connection

Memorable Quotes

• “The more curious we are, the more innovations we are able to create.” — Afon [03:24]
• “If you want the quick and easy... Journey Next is not for you... But if you want to go in-depth and really become an authority on a topic, then Journey Next is for you.” — Dr. Tamara Nall [09:46]
• “Pessimism has never led innovation... Being optimistic about the future and having that gut feeling, 'I’m going to mold the future into the vision I have', is super important.” — Afon [23:30]
• “AI will free up teachers to do what they do best: guide, correct, and inspire.” — Afon [27:15]

Useful Timestamps

• [01:44] Afon’s introduction and origin story
• [05:05] User journey and platform customization
• [10:43] Key feature: collaborative learning tools
• [13:53] Ethics, AI hallucination, and safeguards
• [16:31] Vision for a future with Journey Next
• [18:54] Call to action: Try Journey Next
• [20:24] Reflections on luck, failure, and leadership
• [23:39] Bonus rapid fire — trends, predictions, book recs

Tone: Warm, inspiring, and practical—mirroring the conversational, forward-looking vibe of Dr. Nall and Afon.

For listeners:
If you’re curious about AI-powered education, want to love learning again, or are interested in ethical innovation in tech—this episode is a must-listen. Journey Next stands out as a thoughtful, scalable application that could reshape how we approach personal learning for years to come.