Page 44 - EW January 2025

Cover Story

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: LEAPFROG

OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIAN EDUCATION

Most educators agree that if used carefully and
intelligently, AI has massive potential to radically
impact education by improving teaching practices and
student learning outcomes

Ditsa Bhattacharya & Summiya Yasmeen

• Last March, edtech company Maker Labs installed India’s academics welcome AI programs for their potential to cus-
first artificial intelligence (AI) teacher robot named Iris in tomise learning, automate administrative tasks and enable
the KTCT Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram speedy access to content and knowledge, others are voic-
to “redefine the learning landscape and push the boundar- ing concern about capability of generative AI apps such as
ies of what’s possible in education”. ChatGPT, Gemini, and Meta AI to upend well-established
• On November 11, the Punjab and Haryana High Court teaching-learning traditions, destroy data privacy, and tor-
issued notice to the top-ranked O.P. Jindal Global Univer- pedo academic integrity by driving students towards auto-
sity, Sonipat, to respond to a petition filed by a student for mated solutions.
quashing a university committee’s decision that declared Nevertheless, most educators agree that if used carefully
him ‘failed’ for submitting “AI-generated” answers in a and intelligently, AI has massive potential to impact educa-
term-end exam. The university’s Unfair Means Committee tion radically by improving teaching practices and student
had accused Kaustubh Anil Shakkarwar, a Master of Laws learning outcomes. In its publication Artificial Intelligence
(LLM) student of its Jindal Global Law School, of submit- in Education (2024), Unesco says, “AI has the potential to
A I, THE NEW ICT (INFORMATION progress towards the United Nation’s SDG (sustainable
address some of the biggest challenges in education today,
ting “88 percent AI-generated” responses.
innovate teaching and learning practices, and accelerate
development goal) 4” i.e, enabling inclusive and equitable
communication technology) break-
quality education.
through — defined as “simulation
“AI will transform education in two fundamental ways.
of human intelligence in machines
First, every teacher can now have a personal teaching as-
that are programmed to think,
learn, and solve problems in a
child in her class and recommend lesson plans to improve
manner similar to how humans
her learning. Simultaneously, AI will enhance teacher per-
do” (ChatGPT) — is the buzzword sistant that will assist her in tracking the learning of every
in schools, colleges and universities worldwide. While some formance by discharging day-to-day tasks and routines and
44 EDUCATIONWORLD JANUARY 2025