We are witnessing a move away from traditional teaching methods towards modernization brought about through the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI). IBEF has published figures that show that the Indian edtech market is expected to grow from $700-800 million in 2021 to $30 billion by 2031. This growth reflects the trend towards digital learning solutions that rely on AI to provide more personalized, efficient. And accessible education. Furthermore, a report by KPMG states that India is now the second largest market for e-learning after the United States, clearly indicating the country’s strong digital learning transformation.
One of the problems that is being seen in India is the imbalance between school enrollment and higher education enrolment. Interestingly, according to TG Seetharam, chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), around 25 crore students take admission in schools every year, and only 28% continue higher education. This gap is mainly due to economic constraints. Most of the students find it extremely difficult to deal with the huge fees for higher studies, leaving millions of brilliant minds out of the scope of opportunity. Perhaps, AI is the medium through which this problem can be solved. It is providing affordable, accessible and high quality learning platform. Students can pursue higher education irrespective of their geographical or financial limitations through AI-enabled platforms. This could potentially increase the percentage of higher education enrollment and provide more equitable access to learning.
Furthermore, another issue that poses a significant challenge is the shortage of quality teachers. According to a UNESCO study, there are more than 1 million teaching vacancies in India, and about 1.1 lakh schools function with only one teacher. This problem mainly exists in remote areas across the country. Sadly, about 65% of the teaching staff in these towns is vacant. Now, the role of AI becomes extremely useful in this scenario, as it works like a supplementary learning tool. With this level of teacher shortage, AI-powered platforms can serve as virtual learning assistants, helping to bridge the gap by providing students access to learning course books, personalized guidance, and more interactive learning experiences .
Beyond just technological advancements, AI also stands as a powerful tool that has the potential to democratize education. Tools such as adaptive learning technologies can modify lessons for individual students, enhancing their educational journey. Adaptive learning, a fundamental aspect of AI in education, allows platforms to adjust the difficulty of content based on student progress. Popenici and Kerr (2017) explain how AIED applications are rapidly evolving, reshaping the way education is delivered. Generative AI technologies, which create interactive and engaging content, are attracting significant investments and driving the growing growth of the AIED industry. AIED’s adaptive learning technologies have been proven to increase test results by 62%, with AI-powered learning improving students’ overall performance by 30% and reducing anxiety by 20%.
To better understand the impact of AI on education, let’s take the example of the launch of ChatGPT Edu by OpenAI in May 2024. The version of ChatGPT is specifically designed for higher education institutions. Its basic idea is to promote security as well as privacy features. This shows how flexible AI is and is adjusting to the education landscape. These innovative offerings show how AI can revolutionize the classrooms of the future. Such innovations clearly demonstrate the potential of AI to shape the classrooms of the future. This makes learning experiences efficient, tailored and engaging at the same time.
In fact, AI may be just what the education system in our country desperately desires. With high growth rates in population, access to quality, low-cost education becomes a constraint. Thus AI offers a promising solution. This helps to expand learning opportunities, making them more accessible and affordable. AI-based platforms create personalized learning paths tailored to each student’s needs, interests, and experience, unlike traditional classrooms that use a one-size-fits-all approach.
AI is making education more accessible. For students with disabilities, tools like text-to-speech and speech recognition give them the chance to interact with texts tailored to their needs. AI also helps non-native speakers by translating educational content into different languages, removing language barriers that often hold students back. In many cases, traditional classrooms cannot fully address the specific needs of all students, especially those with disabilities or language difficulties. AI fills these gaps, ensuring that education reaches more people and is more inclusive. It is not about replacing teachers or changing the core of learning, but about giving more students a better chance to succeed regardless of their abilities or language skills.
AI also enhances the evaluation process. Through adaptive assessment, AI can adjust the difficulty level of tests and quizzes based on previous submissions. Students are given the possibility and motivation to continuously learn and improve in specific areas, as they receive timely and relevant feedback on what needs to change. On the other hand, traditional assessments are more static and provide minimal feedback. It does not provide any large scope for learning itself. Additionally, it is difficult for a teacher in a traditional classroom setting to closely monitor each student’s progress and learning style, especially in larger class sizes. However, AI enables the platform to monitor each student’s learning patterns, evaluate how they interact with the content and make recommendations to improve learning outcomes. This level of complete understanding is nearly impossible to replicate in a traditional learning environment. AI provides quicker, more accurate assistance while saving time for both teachers and students.
AI in the form of gamified learning and interactive content has far more unique features than traditional methods. AI technologies can create content that creates a stimulating environment in which students are more than passive recipients of information when learning something new. We are well aware that traditional education is mainly limited to classroom lectures and textbooks, but AI enables us to engage in understanding some complex topics in a very effective manner. This method not only helps students retain information better but also motivates and inspires them.
Furthermore, the rise of AI in education does not mean that it will replace teachers; Rather, it improves their role. By handling tasks like grading and administrative duties, AI frees teachers to focus on guidance and individual student interactions – areas where human connection is essential. In other words, we can easily say that AI is like an instructor in the classroom, providing real-time recommendations/suggestions and feedback to help students.
AI removes the barriers that traditional learning typically faces. These are restricted due to cost and space. Furthermore, it encourages a more inclusive and accessible educational experience. The best part is that students can get the opportunity to learn as per their wish.
Traditional classroom education methods rely on lectures which is not always the best way to learn, but AI tools are able to meet the needs of all students. Time and teacher availability have also become limitations for today’s traditional classes. On the other hand, technology allows students to access learning materials whenever they want. Traditional forms of assessment are unable to provide detailed feedback on student performance, but AI enables students to receive immediate feedback and understand how to improve before taking action.
As India prepares to mark its position in the global edtech market, AI can help address key education challenges such as teacher shortage and high costs. By using AI, India can provide quality education to millions of students, making learning fairer and more effective for all. The future of education is digital, and AI is leading it.
This article is written by Diwakar Chittaura, CEO, Intellipaat.
