A high school in Kerala, India, has introduced an innovative approach to education by employing an artificial intelligence (AI) teacher that utilizes generative AI to cater to the individual needs of its students.
As the development of AI technology continues to progress, concerns about its potential to replace human jobs have grown, with industries such as coding, videography, and writing being particularly vulnerable. However, KTCT Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has taken this a step further by becoming the first educational institution to hire an AI humanoid as a teacher.
Equipped with an advanced Intel processor and a dedicated coprocessor, the AI teacher named Iris was developed in collaboration with e-learning provider Makerlabs as part of the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) project, which is supported by NITI Aayog, an Indian government agency.
This humanoid teacher is capable of communicating in three different languages and can effectively respond to complex inquiries. Makerlabs emphasizes that Iris was specifically designed to provide personalized learning experiences for each student. By adapting to the unique requirements and preferences of individual students, Iris empowers educators to deliver engaging and effective lessons like never before.
In a related development, the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology recently issued an advisory stating that tech companies must obtain government approval before publicly releasing new AI tools developed at the laboratory level. This advisory aims to ensure that any AI tools that are considered “unreliable” or still in the trial phase are properly labeled for the possibility of providing inaccurate answers to queries.
This advisory was prompted by recent criticisms directed towards Google and its AI tool Gemini, which were accused of providing inaccurate or biased responses. For example, one response characterized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a fascist, leading to concerns about the reliability and objectivity of AI tools.
In conclusion, the introduction of an AI teacher at KTCT Higher Secondary School in Kerala represents a pioneering approach to education. By harnessing the power of AI, this innovative teaching method aims to provide personalized learning experiences for students, while also highlighting the need for proper regulation and oversight of AI tools to ensure accuracy and impartiality.