AI drives speed—but what about accuracy and reliability? An edtech founder and CEO provides tools to deliver credible, sourced, and transparent insights.
INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero
An exciting new AI search engine has been racking up users looking to find reliable knowledge in seconds based on reliable references. Over 10 million users globally love Liner and it was recognized by a16z as the 4th most used Generative AI product on the web. “We want to help more students and researchers access high-quality information easily, thus saving time during research,” says San Francisco-based founder and CEO Luke Jinu Kim, a 2011-graduate of Seoul’s prestigious Yonsei University, who has been working at Liner since before 2015.
‘We want to help more students and researchers access high-quality information easily, thus saving time during research.’
Of its 10M+ users, around 90% of them are students using the tool, which works similarly to a Perplexity for academics, citing sources, allowing students to pull sources, and ensuring reliability. And it continues to grow like crazy. Students at universities like USC, Michigan, UC Berkeley, NYU, Texas A&M, etc. are using the tool to provide clear, reputable, cite-able answers to research questions.
In this EdTech Digest exclusive, Luke (pictured) answers questions about the inspiration for the platform, the importance of reliable sources in AI search, the evolution of research in higher ed, and the use of responsible AI in colleges and universities.
Can you start by telling us a bit about Liner and the inspiration behind its creation? When and why did you pivot to serving students specifically?
The shift to serving students and academics stems from the fact that they are at the forefront of new innovations, new learnings, and new research. Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity may excel at brainstorming or surface-level information retrieval, but they aren’t designed for deep academic learning.
From summarizing study materials to synthesizing literature reviews, Liner has proven to be a valuable companion for students at institutions like UC Berkeley, USC, University of Michigan, and Texas A&M. Instead of students focusing on finding and researching information and evaluating the validity of said information, they can focus on learning, retaining, and critical thinking. This is particularly valuable for students who process information in different ways, whether due to attention span, language barriers, or other accessibility challenges. Liner’s platform provides an opportunity for a more level playing field for research and information gathering.
How does Liner’s AI search differentiate itself from traditional search engines when it comes to academic research? What feedback have you gotten from students?
Liner stands out from others in the space for being source-focused—every result is backed by verifiable citations, so students and researchers can easily reference their sources with confidence. Unlike traditional search engines, Liner doesn’t just find articles; it understands the context of a query and surfaces the most relevant, credible information. Students love how it saves time by quickly pinpointing key sections of research, letting them skip the search and go straight to the facts. Some have even told us it feels like having a personal assistant!
Plus, students can pull citations with just a click, and view the original quoted text on their screen.
‘Unlike traditional search engines, [it] doesn’t just find articles; it understands the context of a query and surfaces the most relevant, credible information.’
Can you share more about how Liner leverages scholarly sources to ensure the information is accurate and reliable?
Since its launch as a highlighting app in 2015, Liner has spent nearly a decade accumulating “user-curated, importance-based data.” The information highlighted and saved through Liner represents high-quality data that users have deemed valuable and relevant. Leveraging this extensive repository of curated data, Liner has developed a “Source Filtering System” for AI search answers.
We don’t claim to be the first AI-search tool. In fact, in 2023 and 2024 the space took off. Our plan is to move the industry forward by being the most thoughtful, trusted, and accurate option on the market. Stanford University released a report that found AI search tools were terrible at citing sources: they found that only 51.5% of generated sentences are even supported by citations on generative search engines like Bing Chat or YouChat. Meanwhile, hallucinations continue to be a prevalent issue: services like ChatGPT and Perplexity pull facts from all across the internet, regardless of source.
While ChatGPT and Perplexity offer value—brainstorming ideas and providing quick intel, respectively—they do not meet the standards necessary for academia. Liner’s platform is designed specifically to support research and foster learning. Liner revolutionizes how students and scholars access and utilize information.
The industry requires credible sources, such as academic papers and trusted websites. Transparency is key: every piece of information is thoroughly cited. And students can use a “Filter Sources” feature to remove sites they prefer to leave out (like Wikipedia or personal blogs) depending on the context of the research. Our UI/UX is specifically engineered to verify the validity of information, including links to documents, direct quotations, and content previews. This emphasis on reliability enhances the research experience by allowing users to discover relevant information with confidence.
FAST FACTS
Liner is an AI search engine for students and researchers.
Liner AI Search helps users find reliable knowledge in seconds based on reliable references using AI technology.
Reliable AI comes from a source of reliable knowledge. Liner selects reliable sources based on highlighting data accumulated since 2015 and provides accurate answers.
Liner empowers students by combining the power of Large Language Models (LLM) with a unique database of trusted sources, enabling faster and more relevant information discovery.
USERS: 10M+ globally
WEBSITE: https://getliner.com
INDUSTRY: Software Development
HEADQUARTERS: San Francisco
What role do you see AI playing in the future of education, particularly for research and learning?
Our goal at Liner isn’t to use AI to replace students or do their work for them—it’s to provide a resource that makes the process more efficient, focused, and insightful. AI empowers students by helping them quickly navigate vast amounts of information, identify the most relevant sources, and deepen their understanding of complex topics. It’s a tool that supports critical thinking, sparks new ideas, and saves time, allowing students to focus more on applying their knowledge and less on the tedious task of information-gathering. Ultimately, AI can be a partner in the learning process—helping students work smarter, not harder.
‘It’s a tool that supports critical thinking, sparks new ideas, and saves time, allowing students to focus more on applying their knowledge and less on the tedious task of information-gathering. Ultimately, AI can be a partner in the learning process—helping students work smarter, not harder.‘
What advice would you give to educators or students interested in incorporating AI into their learning process?
In today’s information-rich environment, students often struggle to discern credible sources from unreliable ones, which is compounded by the proliferation of AI tools that may generate inaccurate or misleading content. Liner combats this issue head-on by continuously accumulating high-quality, human-verified information. Liner also deploys a system that ranks documents in order of reliability, not only bolstering students’ confidence in their research but also fosters a culture of informed scholarship.
Liner’s innovations contribute to a more informed society by empowering students and researchers with the tools they need to engage with information critically and effectively. Instead of contributing to the “AI vs. education” narrative we’ve come to expect, Liner wants to partner with institutions, working hand in hand to move education forward. By addressing the challenges of misinformation and information overload, Liner not only transforms research practices but also fosters a more educated and discerning community.
What’s next for Liner? Are there new features or expansions on the horizon that you can share?
We just launched Essay Mode in November, which helps students get better at learning how to write, structure, and format essays, especially by finding and citing reliable references from the web, in the right format. In the past month, we’ve also launched the ability to set preferences for the level of depth users get their answers in, the option to exclude specific sources, and the capability to export information into Google docs. We’re committed to evolving as students’ needs do.
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Victor Rivero is the Editor-in-Chief of EdTech Digest. Write to: victor@edtechdigest.com
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Original Article Published at Edtech Digest
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