KOCHI: Throughout history, teachers have held an important role in moulding individuals, particularly in cultures like India. However, a recent study has brought to light a significant concern that could have far-reaching implications soon: there is a significant global shortage of teachers.
To solve this problem, Otermans Institute in London has introduced an innovative idea to revolutionise education through the merging of human-like qualities with AI. This led to the creation of Beatrice, the world’s first digital human AI Teacher.
Inspired by the idea of using AI in education, the KTCT Higher Secondary School, an educational endeavour of Kaduvayil Thangal Charitable Trust, in collaboration with MakerLabs Edutech Private Limited, introduced Iris, Kerala’s first AI teacher.
It was built as part of the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL), a 2021 Central Niti Aayog project aimed at promoting students’ extracurricular activities. MakerLabs, one of ATL’s scientific and technical support companies, collaborated with the school to bring the Iris AI teacher to life.
With Iris’s introduction at KTCT School in Kallambalam, Thiruvananthapuram, students found themselves on the edge of a transformative learning experience.
“Atal Tinkering Lab has been very successful in our school. Students have developed many skills through the lab, gaining hands-on workshop experience in various areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing. These workshops have helped us realise the vast potential of AI and that prompted us to collaborate with MakersLab. That’s how the Iris teacher came into our school,” says Meera M N, the principal of the HS section.
ChatGPT has been programmed to transition into an artificial intelligence teacher. Voice input is processed and converted into audio using Google Conversion.
Iris motion control is facilitated through Bluetooth. In addition to verbal interaction, Iris will move forward and backwards and even shake hands.
“The possibilities are infinite with AI. When a student asks a question, Iris generates answers that closely resemble human responses” shares Hari Sagar, CEO of MakerLabs.
Iris was instated at the school at a function inaugurated by Dr K Rajeev, Director of the Space Physics Laboratory VSSC, on February 5. It was developed by the team comprising Hari Sagar, Shyam Babu, Amal V Nath and five students from grades 8 and 9 in its creation.
Muhammed Mubarak S, a 9th-grade student and a member of the AI teacher team, says, “Iris is very beneficial for students, especially to improve their English. When communicating with the Iris teacher, it’s important to formulate questions correctly and pronounce them properly. This communication process itself becomes a learning experience.”
With 3,000 students across 57 divisions, nearly every class has had the opportunity to interact with Iris. Looking ahead, the school management, led by chairman A Nahas, with convener U Abdul Kalam and senior principal S Sanjeev, is considering dedicating one period per week to the ATLab and AI teacher starting next year.
While many students said that Iris would be instrumental in extending the boundaries of their thoughts, many expressed delight in the fact that an AI teacher wouldn’t scold them.
MakersLab, under the Startup Mission, is actively working to introduce the AI teacher to other schools in Kerala.
Additionally, they are planning to install an AI camera system. This will enable the AI teacher to recognise individuals standing in front of it, differentiate between students and teachers, and respond accordingly to their queries.