But Spawn isn’t a robot. It’s a voice model, a machine that learned to sing by listening to Herndon for hours. And that’s what makes the story so compelling:
What if technology doesn’t just think with you, but feels with you?
The voice that grows with you
Herndon’s experiment raises a fundamental question: what does it mean to find your voice, and then entrust it to an algorithm?
Spawn was trained on her breathing, her intonation, her micro-emotions. The result isn’t a copy-paste, but a second voice that adds something new. A mirror, a shadow, an alter ego. It feels personal. Intimate, even. And yet it’s built from code.
This isn’t science fiction. It’s a new form of co-creation. Not a synthesizer that generates sounds, but an entity that collaborates. That learns. That responds. And that principle is now starting to take root beyond music.
From singing to studying
Take the Swiss experiment at UniDistance Suisse, a university that in 2023 introduced an AI tutor for students struggling with statistics and mathematics. The tutor, built on GPT-3, doesn’t rely on fixed learning paths or multiple choice. Instead, it asks questions, listens to answers, and adapts. Students receive tailored explanations, until the concept clicks.
The results are remarkable. Students using the AI tutor score on average 15 percentile points higher than their peers. Not because the AI pushes them through the material faster, but because they better understand why something is right or wrong.
The parallel with Herndon is striking: again, we’re dealing with a voice that gives something back. Not the “correct” answer, but a personal, responsive path. A learning relationship shaped by interaction.
China’s AI teacher with personality
On the other side of the world, things go even further. In China, Squirrel AI is rolling out adaptive learning technology in hundreds of schools. The software builds a profile for each student, using data on strengths, weaknesses, motivation, and even vocal tone during responses. Based on that, it adjusts lesson content, sometimes down to sentence structure and word choice.
According to a large-scale study, students using Squirrel AI perform significantly better than control groups in traditional classrooms. But more importantly: the system detects demotivation faster than a human teacher. It recognizes patterns in mistakes, but also in body language and intonation.
Is it unsettling? Maybe. But it also reveals something: we’re entering an era where AI doesn’t just think along, it lives along. Where learning, like singing, becomes something you do together with a machine that adapts to your rhythm, your tone, your limits.
What does this mean for leaders and organizations?
These three stories, Herndon with Spawn, Swiss students with GPT tutors, and Chinese learners with Squirrel AI, may seem worlds apart. Art, science, education. But they share something fundamental: they’re about personal growth. About people getting better at what they do, because a machine learns with them.
For leaders, this raises important questions:
- What if your employees don’t just use an AI tool, but build a relationship with it?
- What if your learning culture shifts from “transferring knowledge” to “co-learning with a digital partner”?
- What if feedback, coaching, onboarding and development all happen through a conversation, not with a manager, but with a system that understands you personally?
Six insights for those who want to learn (or sing) with AI
1. AI isn’t a copycat, it’s a sounding board
Spawn sounds like Herndon, but thinks differently. An AI tutor doesn’t think like a teacher, but still challenges you. Don’t use AI as a replacement, use it as variation. Seek friction.
2. Personalized means relational
The power of these systems lies not in the data, but in the relationship. In interaction. Build AI solutions that get to know people, not just calculate.
3. Build feedback loops into everything
Herndon constantly retrains Spawn. AI tutors improve through feedback. In your organization, create mechanisms where humans and machines continuously adjust to each other.
4. Let go of what felt ‘personal’
Your voice. Your style. Your way of explaining. You don’t have to give them up, but you do have to open them up. The most powerful results come when you let AI surprise you with how it reflects you.
5. Combine creativity with structure
Squirrel AI works because it provides structure while allowing room for discovery. In your organization, use AI to create frameworks where people can experiment.
6. Growth requires trust, even in technology
Whether it’s a student coached by an algorithm or a singer entrusting her voice to code, the key is trust. Trust that you’ll grow together.
The future of learning is relational
- Would you collaborate with a machine that mimics your voice?
- Would you take advice from a system that analyses your behavior?
- Would you learn from a coach without a body, but with unlimited attention?
It might still feel unfamiliar.
But for a new generation, it’s already second nature.