Indian school appoints AI teacher for personalised education

KTCT Higher Secondary School in Kerala, India, has made history by appointing an AI teacher named Iris, who utilises AI to generate personalised education. Equipped with an Intel processor and dedicated coprocessor, Iris was developed through a partnership with online learning provider Makerlabs as part of the Atalaturing Lab (ATL) project by NITI Ayog, an Indian government agency. This humanoid AI teacher, capable of speaking three languages and responding to complex questions, is designed to adapt to each student’s needs and preferences, providing a unique and practical learning experience.

Despite concerns about AI replacing human roles in various industries, KTCT Higher Secondary School embraces technological advancements and has become the first to employ humanoid AI for teaching. Iris represents a significant step forward in AI-driven education, demonstrating the potential for personalised and engaging lessons. Makerlabs emphasises that Iris empowers educators to deliver lessons that cater to the specific requirements of each student, revolutionising the teaching process.

India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued directives to regulate the development and release of AI tools. According to the directives, technology companies creating new AI tools at the laboratory level must obtain government approval before publicly releasing them online. The directive explicitly targets ‘unreliable’ AI tools or those still in the testing phase, requiring them to be labelled as potentially providing inaccurate answers to questions. This regulatory move comes in response to concerns raised by senior Indian ministers about the accuracy and biases observed in AI tools developed by companies like Google and Gemini, emphasising the need for government approval before widespread availability on the Indian internet.