AI can assist learning, but it cannot replace teachers, say school leaders

As artificial intelligence enters classrooms, educators across India say the technology can support learning but cannot replace teachers. Experts highlight the need for balance, human judgement and parental involvement as AI tools become more common in schools.

The question was framed sharply at the India Today Education Conclave in Delhi: Is artificial intelligence a teaching aid, a co-teacher, or a disruptor of the traditional classroom?

By the end of the panel discussion on ‘AI in the Classroom: Promise, Peril and Possibilities’, the answer was clear -- AI may be changing how classrooms function, but it is also making the role of teachers and parents more critical, not less.

Moderated by Suyesha Savant, the session brought together Sharmila Bakshi, Principal of Vasant Valley School, Delhi; Surabhi Bhargav, Principal of Cambridge School, Noida; and Ashish Arora, Senior Vice President and Business Head, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, South Asia. What followed was a grounded, at times cautionary conversation that moved well beyond hype.

Sharmila Bakshi opened by resisting a single-label view of AI in education. According to her, AI fits all three roles -- aid, co-teacher and disruptor -- depending on how it is used.

She stressed that while AI can ease administrative burden and add creativity through presentations, quizzes and storytelling, it should never undermine the educator.

“I would not, under any circumstances, undermine the role of the teacher,” she said, adding that teachers will “always be there in the classroom, guiding the children, helping the children, supporting the children.”