Free for teachers
AI chatbot for students
Tell Sparky what your students should be able to ask about and what it must never do for them. Sparky builds the chatbot as a Flint activity, and you can read every conversation while your students chat.
Used by 250,000+ teachers, and built to FERPA, COPPA and GDPR standards.
How the student chatbot works
Describe the chatbot
In a Flint chat, say what students should ask about and what Sparky must not do, such as "a chatbot for chapters 1 to 3 of Of Mice and Men that never writes their paragraphs". Sparky drafts an activity with a name, guidelines and an opening message.
Check it and share it
Read the guidelines, change any field yourself or ask Sparky to, and try the chatbot in Preview. Click Create activity, then copy the link or show the join code.
Watch the conversations
Each student gets a session of their own. The activity page lists the sessions as students start them, and Sparky adds a card under Needs attention when someone gives up or asks for you.
What the chatbot does with your students
Follows your guidelines
It answers inside the role and guidelines you wrote, at the grade level you set, with Concise, Balanced or Thorough replies.
Guides instead of doing the work
On a student account, Sparky won't write essays or solve assigned problems. It asks what the student has tried and sends them back to the material.
Every conversation is open to you
Click any row in the Sessions table to read the whole conversation, while the student is working or after they submit. You can also see what they pasted into a message.
Alerts when a student needs you
Sparky flags a student who gives up, keeps getting answers wrong, seems upset or asks for a teacher. The student isn't told about the flag.
Safety flags reach the right adults
Messages about self-harm, bullying, violence, hate or sexual content are flagged, and the school's chosen staff get an email linking to the conversation. Self-harm alerts always go out at once.
School hours only
A school admin can limit when students can use Flint, such as 8 AM to 5 PM on weekdays. Outside those hours, students see a message instead of the app.
Ways teachers use a student chatbot
A reading companion
Students ask about the chapters they've read. Name those chapters in the guidelines so the chatbot doesn't give away the ending.
Review before a test
The chatbot quizzes each student on the unit one question at a time and explains the ones they miss.
Feedback on drafts
Students paste a draft and get questions about their argument, with no rewriting.
Speaking practice
In a language class, students speak to the chatbot and it reads its replies aloud. Set both in the activity's Language settings.
Data privacy
Safe to use with student work
What happens to the files you upload and what your students write in Flint.
Not used to train AI
Student data in Flint is never used to train AI models.
Not shared
Flint does not share student data, or any other user data, with third parties.
Kept separate
Each school's data is kept apart from every other school's, and the AI providers Flint runs on can't reach it.
Signed agreements, on request
Flint signs a data processing agreement with any school that needs one, written to US state law and EU GDPR.
What teachers say about Flint
"I started with a “Book Matchmaker” to engage students in personalized book recs... The best part? I can see what students are asking for! They’re amazed when the books they’ve asked for seem to magically appear on our “New Books” display!"
Sarah Ducharme
Research Skills Teacher and Librarian at Oberoi International School
“With the AI chat history, I can see what the kids are thinking through their writing. At back-to-school night, I had several parents mention that their kids went home and talked about the ‘cool assignment’.”
Zach Richards
Ethics teacher at Episcopal
"I collaborate closely with teachers to understand their specific needs and then co-create AI-powered chatbots to enhance student learning. My primary focus has been supporting student research and Chinese writing development."
Jane Wong
Technology and Digital Citizenship Teacher at Chinese International School Hong Kong
Frequently asked questions
Is the student chatbot free?
Yes. Building a chatbot activity and sharing it with your class is free for teachers.
Is there a safe AI chatbot for students?
A chatbot in Flint runs inside an activity you own. You can read every conversation, Sparky tells you when a student is struggling or giving up, and messages about self-harm or bullying are flagged to the adults your school chose. Student data is never used to train AI. Our security page and page for parents have the details.
Will the chatbot do my students' homework?
No. With a student, Sparky asks what they have tried and explains ideas, but it won't write essays or solve assigned problems for them. Add your own limits in the guidelines, such as which chapters it may discuss.
Can I see what my students ask the chatbot?
Yes. Open the activity and click any session to read the whole conversation, during class or later. School admins can also search every chat and session in the school.
How do students get to the chatbot?
Copy the activity's link, or show its six-character join code on the board. If the activity is open to your class, students find it under the class's Activities without either.
Can students chat with Sparky outside an activity?
Yes. Students can start their own chats, which the school's admins can find. For help with homework on their own, point them to the AI tutor.
What is a chatbot?
A program you talk to in everyday language that answers in sentences. Our glossary entry on chatbots explains how they work and how schools use them.
Explore more tools
See all tools ->
AI tutor
Tell Sparky where you're stuck in any subject. It asks what you already know, then gives hints and examples until you can work it out yourself.
AI writing feedback
Share a student's writing. Sparky drafts feedback that quotes the student's sentences, names what works and picks the next steps that will help most.
Quiz Me!
Students add their notes or name a topic, and Sparky quizzes them one question at a time, with a hint when they miss.
