AI is amazing, but the best digital classrooms need human teachers

As India marks Teachers’ Day on 5 September 2025, commemorating the birth anniversary of India’s second President, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan— a visionary who saw education as the cornerstone of societal progress — the spotlight turns to the profound shift classrooms are currently experiencing, both students in them and their teachers.

In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping every facet of life, educators are navigating uncharted waters. AI tools are no longer novelties; they are integral to learning, from generating content to analysing student performance. Yet, amid this digital surge, teachers emerge not as relics of the past but as vital architects of the future.

Let’s take a look at  how AI complements human expertise, the hurdles ahead, and the strategies needed to harness this synergy, drawing on global and Indian experiences to celebrate the enduring human essence of teaching.

Classrooms at the crossroads

Modern educational landscape stands at a pivotal intersection. AI technologies, once the stuff of imagination, now automate routine tasks and offer tailored instruction. Debates rage over whether these tools undermine deep learning or enhance it, as seen in student pushback at institutions like the Northeastern University in the US, where faculty employed AI for admin duties but restricted student access. This tension underscores a broader query: How do educators adapt when machines join the teaching fray?

In 2025, AI’s footprint in education has expanded dramatically.

According to the Stanford AI Index Report, as many as two-thirds of the countries now incorporate or plan K–12 computer science education with AI elements — up almost twice from 2019 — with significant strides in Africa and Latin America.

In India, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has dubbed 2025 the ‘Year of AI’, influencing over 14,000 institutions to integrate these technologies. This momentum aligns with Dr Radhakrishnan’s ethos, emphasising education’s role in fostering responsible citizens amid rapid change.

The dual promise

AI’s allure lies in its ability to scale personalisation and efficiency. Platforms like DreamBox and Carnegie Learning adjust math and language lessons to individual paces, providing extra drills for struggling learners or advanced challenges for those ahead. In India, edu apps such as Byju’s and Embibe extend this to rural areas, though concerns about affordability persist.

Beyond personalisation, AI streamlines administrative burdens. Educators often dedicate up to 40 per cent of their time to grading and reporting; AI liberates them for more meaningful interactions. Generative models assist in crafting quizzes, outlines and explanations, enriching instructional variety.

Recent advancements amplify this potential. Microsoft’s 2025 AI in Education report highlights how AI boosts inclusion by adapting to diverse needs, such as real-time language translation for multilingual classrooms.
In South Korea, AI-powered digital textbooks for maths and English, rolled out in March 2025, analyse student engagement to refine content dynamically. These innovations promise to democratise quality education, particularly in resource-strapped settings.

Irreplaceable human anchors

Yet, education transcends data processing. Teachers provide the empathy and connection that algorithms lack, reading subtle cues of frustration or joy to offer timely support. They guide ethical navigation, scrutinising AI outputs for biases and relevance, and nurture critical thinking by probing deeper questions.

A Delhi educator, reflecting in a training session, captured this essence: “AI can suggest content, but it cannot replace the compassion behind why we teach.”

This sentiment echoes UNESCO’s stance that AI innovates practices but cannot replicate human moral reasoning or character development. In this age of AI, teachers cultivate resilience and creativity, encouraging students to grapple with ambiguity rather than accept surface-level answers.

An ally, not adversary

Far from supplanting educators, AI thrives in partnership. It identifies patterns of misunderstanding, allowing teachers to intervene with dialogue and motivation. Global pilots, like Estonia’s AI tutors ensuring equitable access and Khan Academy’s Khanmigo in India leveraging advanced models, exemplify this.

In the US, AI now tracks nuanced metrics like heart rates and facial expressions to gauge engagement, according to American Psychological Association reports, enabling more responsive teaching.

In India, states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have tried adaptive assessments in public schools, where AI data informs teacher-led feedback. This model positions AI as an assistant, with educators as the orchestrators of holistic growth.

Curriculum shifts

Preparing for tomorrow demands that we teach rethinking. AI fluency — understanding algorithms, biases and data ethics — must become core skills, akin to the basics of literacy. India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 champions this, advocating interdisciplinary projects applying AI to fields like healthcare and the arts.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) leads here. Since introducing AI as an elective in 2019, adoption has skyrocketed. Over 4,500 schools now offer it in Class 9 (up from 235), and 944 offer it in Class 11 (up from 80), per government data. Partnerships with Intel and IBM have yielded facilitator handbooks and project modules, such as AI for traffic optimisation or AI for sustainability. By 2023, expansions have included real-world problem solving, aligning with the NEP’s experiential focus.

Globally, initiatives like the World Economic Forum’s AI Literacy Framework (AILit), launched in 2025, empower learners to navigate AI ethically. Google’s $1 billion commitment to AI training provides free advanced tools to students, fostering adaptability.

Challenges and tensions

Integration isn’t seamless. Inequity looms large. While urban private schools embrace AI, government schools in rural areas lag in infrastructure, potentially exacerbating divides. Policies must prioritise access, as urged in the EY-ASSOCHAM report on building an AI-enabled system for Viksit Bharat.

Risks of superficial learning arise when students rely on AI for assignments without developing comprehension. Educators must craft inquiry-based evaluations to counter this.

Teacher upskilling is critical for other reasons as well; for without it, AI becomes gimmicky.

The CBSE workshops are a start, but scalability is needed, especially as OpenAI’s 2025 Learning Accelerator targets Indian educators.

Transparency erodes when double standards prevail, as in the recent case of the Northeastern University professor called out by a student. Clear policies are essential.

Indian innovations

Internationally, China’s smart classrooms with facial recognition have sparked privacy debates, while the US executive order advances AI youth education through challenges. Meanwhile, UNICEF has highlighted India’s role in human-centred AI learning, ensuring agency amid technology.

India’s strides have indeed been noteworthy.

IIT Delhi’s research on adaptive systems aids government schools in Delhi and Haryana, focusing on maths and science gaps, while training teachers to leverage insights. This complements the CBSE’s efforts, positioning India to host the world’s largest AI-ready school population.

Reimagining the role of the teacher

Teachers evolve from information dispensers to mentors in this digital age, facilitating discovery and ethical reflection. They curate AI-enhanced experiences, modelling life-long learning. As co-learners, they demonstrate adaptability, vital in a workforce demanding digital prowess alongside human skills.

A novel approach with systemic support is imperative. Strengthen rural digital infrastructure, expand AI-focused training and craft national guidelines on ethics and privacy. Public–private ties — between edtech, universities and policymakers — should emphasise pedagogy over profit. AICTE’s 2025 initiatives and NEP alignments provide a blueprint for this.

On this Teachers’ Day, we honour educators as the conscience of AI integration. For they don’t merely convey knowledge; they instill meaning, values and citizenship — echoing Dr Radhakrishnan’s vision.

AI may automate, but teachers inspire and humanise. In steering classrooms through this digital future, they ensure education remains inclusive, ethical... and profoundly human.

Hasnain Naqvi is a former member of the history faculty at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai