Why in News: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping education in India, with global companies like OpenAI (ChatGPT), NVIDIA, and Google investing heavily. The India AI Mission aims to build a trusted and inclusive AI ecosystem, while classrooms increasingly adopt AI-based tools for pedagogy and assessment.
Opportunities in AI-driven Education:
1. Enhanced Pedagogy: AI aids in personalised learning, content creation, and adaptive assessments tailored to students’ abilities.
2. Administrative Efficiency: Automates grading, attendance, and lesson planning, allowing teachers to focus on creative teaching.
3. Skill Development: AI integration supports digital literacy and 21st-century skills critical for employability.
4. Teacher Empowerment: Tools like ChatGPT assist in lesson design and concept clarification.
5. National Vision: The India AI Mission promotes Centres of Excellence and skill-building under AI Compute Capacity and AI Future Skills initiatives.
Challenges and Ethical Concerns:
- Digital Divide: Unequal access to devices and connectivity widens learning gaps.
- Superficial Use: AI often replaces genuine teacher–student interaction, reducing education to information delivery.
- Ethical Dilemmas: Risks of plagiarism, bias, and overdependence on AI tools.
- Lack of Training: Teachers require in-service training for ethical and meaningful AI use.
Way Forward:
1. Integrate AI literacy and ethics into teacher training programmes.
2. Ensure inclusive access through affordable digital infrastructure.
3. Encourage context-sensitive AI tools suited to Indian classrooms.
4. Preserve humanistic and dialogic pedagogy alongside technological efficiency.
5. Foster critical thinking and creativity rather than rote digital dependency.
Conclusion:
AI offers immense potential to democratise education, but its integration must be ethical, inclusive, and human-centric to truly transform learning and uphold the spirit of education envisioned in Viksit Bharat 2047.
UPSC RELEVANCE
GS Paper 3 – Science and Technology:
- Applications of AI in the education sector.
Mains Practice Question
Q. “AI can personalise learning but cannot replace the human touch in teaching.” Discuss in the context of India’s education system.