Humanoid teacher makes learning fun in Kerala school

AI-powered humanoid Nova enhances learning experience for students by answering questions in multiple languages, fostering curiosity and interest in technology.

Clad in a brick-red sari with her signature synthesised voice, Nova was introduced to the wide-eyed students of Government LPGS, Punalur, on November 14. The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered humanoid is currently redefining the learning experience of around 74 lower primary students who are fascinated with the ‘new teacher’.

They ask all kinds of questions, including those from their syllabus, and watch her in awe as the teacher answers them. “We have uploaded all their text books in PDF format so that the AI teacher can answer any question about their lessons. They also ask a lot of random doubts and the children are really curious to interact with Nova,” says M.K. Bindu, headteacher. Nova is a polyglot and can speak English, Malayalam, Hindi and Arabic. “We teach Arabic as an additional language in school and that’s why it too was included,” she adds.

The humanoid was mainly designed to improve the communication skills of children as they are encouraged to ask questions in all languages. “Also, the AI teacher helps to inculcate an interest in technology, which is very essential to prepare them for future. By introducing them to the latest developments in technology, they become capable to navigate this digital era more confidently,” says the headteacher.

Nova is basically a mannequin equipped with speaker and microphone that works on GPT-4o, OpenAI’s latest model that can provide customised learning experience using text, audio, and video. The humanoid can be connected to a projector so that the answers can be displayed on screen for the students to read.

“It mainly focuses on interaction to improve language skills. If the students request a story, the AI teacher will ask specific questions to know the type of story they want. At present the children can interact in four languages and in future we can add more based on the requirement,” says Amesh Lal, school PTA president and an IT expert who designed the humanoid. He adds that they are planning to add computer vision and more elements of robotics in future.

“We are thinking about an advanced model with movement, so that the teacher can walk to classrooms. Since it is a modest government LP school, we cannot currently afford that,” he says.