Artificial Intelligence for All in National Education Policy

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the future of education is intrinsically linked with developments in new technologies and computing capacities of the new intelligent machines.

As the present-day educational structure is becoming more and more competitive and challenging, there is a need for it to be capable of meeting international benchmarks. The emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) can be highly useful in this regard.

AI can open up new possibilities and challenges for teaching and learning in education, with the potential for significant changes in the governance and the internal architecture of educational institutions.

Artificial Intelligence will play an important role in providing personalized learning, the ability to tailor instructional content and learning to the specific need of each student. The ability to collect data from multiple sources, a query that data, and obtain information through tools such as predictive analytics and machine learning is what makes AI such an exciting advancement in education technology and why its use will prove transformational for all stakeholders, from individual students to Ministry of Education.

Artificial Intelligence may be viewed as Augmented Intelligence. The application of AI provides all stakeholders with additional information and with insights that can better inform decisions.

Here are some ways in which AI is transforming education as we know it:

Effective Management of Administrative Tasks

Through the automation of administrative work, artificial intelligence allows ample time for teachers that they can utilise to engage with students in an improved manner and assist them through the challenges efficiently. AI helps with school admissions via the automation of the categorization and processing of paperwork. It also helps with the grading of test papers as AI helps assess both objectives as well as subjective answer sheets.

This saves time and efforts of the teacher along with avoiding human errors of lapses in attention or even unconscious biases.

Access to Quality Content

Automation has also made quality education accessible to a larger population in the form of smart content. The professors can compose or design study materials customized according to the different needs of the students in different regions with the help of evolved applications of AI. The learning material can be shared in diverse forms that may consist of virtual formats such as video conferences and lectures.

In addition to the intelligent tutoring system, smart learning content created using AI will assist teachers to facilitate each student individually. AI is helping create a series of digital content from the traditional textbooks, categorising them into outlines, study guides, chapter summaries, and practical tests.

AI interfaces enable teachers to frame e-curriculums and a more comprehensive outline of the syllabus across myriad devices, enabling online assistance programs, illustrative videos, and audios.

Personalised Learning Process

While in traditional classrooms, an educator may not be able to pinpoint each student’s strengths and weaknesses and provide undivided attention to them. But AI is empowering teachers to track their students’ performance and progress in real-time and address the individual needs of each student appropriately. In addition to this, with the help of AI, teachers have ample time to guide their students so that their cognitive skills see an improvement.

Besides academics, AI can also identify and streamline students’ career choices. AI helps in identifying if a student is susceptible to certain learning disabilities such as dyslexia or any other issue the child may be facing. This, in turn, can help teachers to determine if they have developed the relevant reading skills for their age.

Moreover, the AI software helps in collecting detailed information about students so that the educator could make use of bespoke pedagogies while imparting lectures. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach, this system operates with the individual strengths of each student.

Better Outreach

The incorporation of AI in the education system can help make it inclusive. The consonance among AI, Internet and mobility has brought schools into each house and even if the student fails to gain admission in any school, he/she can still study with the help of a smart device.

AI is efficiently helping to reduce the impact of scarce infrastructure and non-availability of qualified or proficient professors in many schools. It has upgraded the distance education mode. Asynchronous sessions are now well-organised with the help of virtual classrooms and teachers.

Customised Curriculum for Increased Employability

AI enables an interdisciplinary customised curriculum which can be designed and tweaked to track the response of each student so as to understand what interests them the most. This mechanism is similar to the ‘recommendation engine’ that popular streaming and eCommerce sites use to suggest favorite TV shows or next purchase items. This eliminates the possibilities of students ending up in the wrong education system.

Considering the above, it is in fitness of things that Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched ‘AI For All’ initiative at the first anniversary of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

‘AI for All’ is an online course aimed at offering a basic understanding of artificial intelligence for every citizen in the country. Under the programme, the government aims to train 1 million citizens in its first year. This is one of the largest AI public awareness programmes across the globe.

To ensure the course reaches a wider range of people, it will be available in 11 different vernacular languages. The content is also compatible with various talkback applications – implying the reading material is available in audible versions to make it accessible for visually impaired people.

This programme is driven by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Ministry of Education and Intel India. Interested can access the programme at cbseacademic.nic.in/aiforall.html.

AI For All is a four-hour, self-paced, micro-learning program which as applicable to a student, a stay-at-home parent as it is to a professional in any field or even a senior citizen.

It is divided into two sections – AI Awareness (1.5 hours) and AI Appreciation (2.5 hours). The segment on AI Awareness provides an elementary understanding of AI and its potentials and pitfalls. The AI Appreciation segment helps learners get introductory knowledge of the common domains of AI and start building personal learning plans.