Behind Viral TikTok Song Birabiro Is an Ethiopian AI-Powered Children’s Learning App

On the frenzied FYP pages of Ethiopian TikTok users, rarely featuring family-friendly content, a simple melody about a caterpillar's quiet rebellion became a viral phenomenon last month. Titled "Birabiro", an Amharic word for butterfly, the 60-second anime-style video crafted for the tiniest ears resonated with parents and content creators alike as it would go on to be dubbed 53,000 times and amass over 4.3 million views. 

But the catchy tune voiced by an AI model is more than just another trend propped by content creators; it is part of Aynu Kids, a mobile app designed with a comprehensive body of content for childhood education.  

At the heart of the serendipitous social media spark is Aynu Labs, a three-month-old edtech startup founded by Biruk Mamo, one of the co-founders of Kuraz Tech, a company known for its e-learning platforms. Biruk officially registered his latest start-up in July, betting on AI's alchemy to democratize learning for children aged 2 to 8, designed with meticulous attention to each piece of content. 

 “We were deliberate with every detail, down to the last line of each lyric,” Biruk told Shega. 

He pointed out that AI voice tools often struggle with the sixth set of letters in the Amharic alphabet, producing distorted sounds. To fix this, his team deliberately wrote the lyrics to end with the seventh set instead, helping the words flow organically.  

“We wanted the song to sound both emotionally powerful and culturally authentic,” he says. “That meant fine-tuning every prompt and line of the composition.  

Though the voice-over and animation sprang fully formed from AI models, fine-tuned prompts coaxing out fluid Ethiopian intonations, the lyrics were born from a novice writer’s fluttering idea. 

Selam Mebrhatu,  a fresh-faced computer science graduate from Dire Dawa, penned them over two feverish days. It was her professional debut, her first swing at songwriting, birthed from a late-night epiphany about metamorphosis. 

A hungry caterpillar devours everything in its path, then retreats into a cocoon, dissolving into “insect soup” before reorganizing into wings, antennae, and compound eyes, the architecture of flight. Finally, it emerges, fragile and damp, pumping fluid into its wings before taking off into a life of beauty, pollination, and admiration as a vibrant butterfly. 

“I wanted the message to feel emotionally grounded and culturally resonant, something that speaks to resilience and identity,” Selam told Shega. 

Perhaps this intuitive arc, linking a child’s wonder about transformation to a broader story of growth, helped Birabiro stand out on a platform inundated with social commentary. 

The viral hit serves as the entry point into Aynu Kids, which contains more than 50 other songs developed over six months. The platform features over 300 age-specific lessons, 33 “visit and learn” videos exploring global topics, 15 educational games centered on logic, memory, and creativity, and roughly 50 parenting guides. 

Aynu Kids blends AI-generated animation with human-created content to address the high costs of producing original animation in Ethiopia while delivering localized, interactive, and culturally appropriate educational materials for children.  

The app, set to be available for both Android and IOS this week, features five main categories: educational content for toddlers to eight-year-olds, interactive games, a music library with hits like Birabiro and Shufferru, parenting resources on pregnancy and child development, and a language section including Tigrigna, Afaan Oromo, and international options like Chinese, Arabic, French, and Spanish.  

Content production began in February with an opening for content developers, screening hundreds of applicants. After training and trial tasks, an initial team of three creators was formed, later joined by more than 10 additional developers and, eventually, around 30 professionals, including designers and software developers. Production continued through June. By May, platform development had begun, and the company was officially registered in July. 

Contributors from Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Adama worked remotely on animation, voiceovers, and songwriting.  

 “It’s incredible what we achieved without even meeting in person,” the founder told Shega.   

Content development included stages from ideation, drafting, editing, and review by medical professionals for materials requiring expert oversight. Early versions of content were also tested with families to gather iterative feedback.  

“We move forward when we see children engaging with the content and responding positively,” says Biruk.  

The reasoning, he adds, is simple: today’s children are exposed to global-quality media, they recognize good content instantly, and respond only when it meets that standard.  

The app leverages AI-driven production and community-sourced content to scale learning materials while keeping them culturally rooted for Ethiopian families.    

Designed with screen time and engagement limits, Aynu Kids also seeks to allay concerns around excessive device use. Currently bootstrapped, the startup plans to adopt a subscription model with free and a premium annual tier at 999 Br while aiming to register up to 10,000 users in the coming three months.