Iris: India's First AI Teacher Robot and the Educational Development with Technology
AI technology is another major topic in the Indian tech market, similar to various countries around the world. India recognizes the opportunities and benefits of AI and seeks to apply it in commercial sectors and improve daily life for its citizens.
AI technology advancement in India has now led it to educational application. Recently, it was revealed that India has successfully created its first AI teacher robot, called "Iris" which has already been tested in high schools, causing excitement among the Indian populace. While the world is also starting to take an interest in how it will transform the Indian education model or how it will affect AI policies that will be implemented in the future.
Introducing Iris, India's First AI Teacher Robot
"Iris'' is the name of India's first AI teacher robot for schools. It was recently launched at a Kerala school event in New Delhi, India by Maker Labs Edutech. Later on, they were initially deployed at KTCT Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Iris is a teacher robot powered by generative AI and cutting-edge robotics technology. It features an AI-Voice Assistant powered by Intel chipsets that can be controlled by voice, responding to commands in sequence with explanations and presentations of educational information. Users can interact with Iris, in line with the Indian government's goal of creating innovations that cater to Personalized Learning Experiences for Indian students.
Iris currently understands 3 languages and can be controlled via an Android app. It contains educational content suitable for children from preschool to high school (Grade 12). While the developers, Maker Labs, plan to develop Iris to understand 20 languages.
Photo Credit Maker Labs’ Instagram
From the photos and videos posted on Maker Labs' Instagram, it can be seen that at the launch event at Kerala School, the Iris robot came in the form of a female teacher wearing a traditional Indian sari. It maneuvers on a 4-wheeled chassis to greet students in the classroom and is able to respond in basic gestures, such as shaking hands or waving and turning its head.
Iris is one of the policies for developing the education system within schools of NITI Aayog, or the National Institution for Transforming India, under the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) project of the Indian government to develop innovation and build the country towards becoming a New India.
Iris and the Future of Education in India
The image of Iris entering the classroom and interacting with children is a glimpse into India's desire and ability to implement AI technology in an important role in its education system.
According to Maker Labs, Iris is a major step towards educational innovation, in line with India's goal of revolutionizing the learning experience through personalized AI technology. In addition to being an autonomous teacher, Iris can to assist teachers in adapting their teaching methods so that students can learn and understand more effectively.
UNESCO’s report indicates that India is facing a shortage of teaching professionals due to its growing population. Currently, there is a need for over 1 million more educators. The introduction of educational AI will help alleviate the situation by using technology to provide alternative sources of education, perform routine tasks for teachers or manage classrooms at their place. This will allow teachers to focus on more complex tasks and have a better impact on student education’s progress.
Schools in India have already started adopting various technologies to adapt to the Digital Age. The launch of Iris is another step forward for technology in education, which the Indian government believes will help develop an alternative form of education for children in India, by allowing AI to play a greater role in transforming national development.
Challenges of AI for Education in India
In addition to adopting AI to assist with non-teaching tasks for teachers, India also aims to speed up its adoption of Immersive Technology to develop the country. Making Iris’ capabilities to be more intriguing for the Indian education and technology sectors.
While AI for education can be immensely beneficial, the transition from the old system to the new technology-reliant system requires comprehension, open-mindedness and effective and sustainable collaboration from all parties involved.
Integrating AI into India's education system requires a nuanced understanding of both potential benefits and inherent challenges. Especially in the context of India because it is a diverse country with significant differences between cities and states in terms of resources, number of teachers, geography, ethnicity and education in each region, which are not equal in quality.
The use of AI technology must therefore be carefully considered, as the global community is still concerned in many areas. The transition to AI-based education will also take time and require extensive adjustments, which is a challenge that India must still address. These include:
- Equity and Accessibility: The first challenge is the availability of technology for schools, teachers and students. Most schools that can afford to adapt to AI integration are located in large cities, leaving rural schools without the means to use technology.
- Technology Replacing Teachers: There is concern that AI will replace teachers and lead to unemployment. Although automation is not a new issue and teaching is a profession that requires skills and training to understand children. Teachers may need to be upskilled in other areas to keep up and adapt to the technology world.
- Plagiarism: Plagiarism is one of the concerns in the education world when AI becomes a teaching tool. Therefore, lessons should be designed to use AI as an assistant while students need to come up with their original creative work.
- Safety and Privacy: The safety and privacy of both students and teachers must be prioritized when using AI in education. AI is most effective when it is given a large amount of data. If AI is to be used in schools, all parties must be confident that the personal data of all parties will be safe. Students themselves must also learn to understand and protect their own data.
- Over-reliance on Technology: Over-reliance on tools like AI can lead to neglect of teaching duties and forgetting learning principles, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, social skills and other important skills such as reading, writing and self-research.
Progress in AI Regulation in India
The global regulation of AI technology is becoming increasingly strict. In the United States, President Joe Biden has issued an executive order concerning AI and there is a compromise on the AI Act. Similarly, the Indian government is concerned about the potential impact of AI use, both in terms of bias and safety.
In recent years, India has launched a framework for responsible AI development and deployment in the country, but there is still no specific AI legislation yet.
The Indian government also tasked NITI Aayog with designing and developing a policy framework for national AI development and deployment. In 2018, NITI Aayog launched the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, or #AIForAll policy, which regulates AI research and development in healthcare, agriculture, education, infrastructure as well as in Smart City and Smart Mobility programs.
According to DataGuidance, NITI Aayog strategy document states that "India, being the fastest growing economy with the second largest population in the world, has a significant stake in the AI revolution." The goal of #AIForAll is to develop and enhance human capabilities by integrating with AI technology. Since India is not yet a pioneer in AI, India's initial approach is focused on R&D.
In February 2021, NITI Aayog launched Part 1 - Principles for Responsible AI, which provides guidance on AI regulation and ethical considerations in AI applications in India. In August 2021, NITI Aayog once again launched ‘Part 2 - Operationalizing Principles for Responsible AI’ which provides guidance on AI procedure policy. The report also explains the importance of issuing application policies that governments and businesses need to consider when deploying AI.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has set up a committee to report on the development, safety and ethics of AI use. MeitY has also launched a National AI Program called "India AI" which will focus on developing the basis of the AI innovation ecosystem in India, with the goal to develop AI human resources, support research & education and improve AI regulatory legislation.
Moreover, the Indian government has recently drafted the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (the Act) to address concerns about the use of popular AI platforms today.
Reference: Times of India (1), (2), India Today, The Indian Express, YTECH, DataGuidance
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