India’s largest education system with more than 250 million learners is at a crossroads where the adoption of cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) could change its destiny. A recent report co-authored by ASSOCHAM and EY India called ‘AI as a Catalyst for Education Delivery’ has urged long-term, strategic acceptance of AI to promote inclusive, future-ready, and effective education systems in the nation, particularly in view of India going towards the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

The report contends that the nation needs to move beyond spasmodic roll-outs and piecemeal experimental pilot projects. Rather, it suggests a planned national strategy in which AI is ingrained in the tissue of school and higher education systems, reshaping how learning is delivered, measured, and accessed for different geographies and demographics.

AI’s role is already being felt in several areas of education delivery. From adaptive learning platforms that cater to the unique needs of individual students to the translation and dissemination of content in multiple Indian languages, AI is enabling more inclusive learning environments. The report also highlights how AI-powered systems can strengthen institutional decision-making—enhancing admissions processes, performance tracking, curriculum design, and even employment readiness among graduates.

Special focus has been provided to India’s North-Eastern and Eastern states, which continue to be beset with problems of linguistic diversity, lack of exposure to digital infrastructure, and lack of teachers. AI can be a game-changer in such areas by providing low-bandwidth, low-cost solutions with high-quality education to impoverished-resource locales. With voice interfaces, smart translation engines, and smart tutoring systems, AI is able to expand vernacular education manifold in terms of reach and quality.

The report authors reiterate that the adoption of AI should be in consonance with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP). This implies creating a culture of lifelong learning amongst teachers, enabling digital literacy, and enabling the use of AI tools that are ethics-oriented. The vision is not towards the mere digitizing of the present education system, but towards re-designing it as an intelligent, networked system that is quick, open, and responsive.

Vikas Aggarwal, Partner at EY India and Education Sector Government and Public Sector Leader, also pointed out the parallel between the education and mobile phone revolution in India’s telecom arena. “AI has the ability to do for education what the mobile phone did for communication in India—it has the ability to make it universal, personal, and indeed transformational,” he said. He discussed how AI is also moving education away from a stiff, monolithic model towards a far more adaptive and interactive one for learners and teachers.

Aggarwal emphasized that AI would not only be instrumental in personalizing learning pathways but also in supporting educators with intelligent tools and data-driven insights. These types of capabilities are able to assist teachers in gaining a deeper understanding of student requirements, monitoring progress in real-time, and changing approach accordingly. For students, it implies access to good quality content personalized to their mode of learning, their own language, and created to enhance creativity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.

The report also warns against an all-technological response. It emphasizes the need for guidelines to promote transparency, accountability, and justice in AI use. Ethical concerns, including protection of student data, avoiding algorithmic bias, and inclusive access, take center stage. Regulatory and public-private partnership strategies must collaborate to facilitate responsible and scalable AI deployment.

In addition, the report recognizes cooperation as the enabler of developing an AI-Driven education system. Policymakers, technology firms, universities, and civil society organizations need to be mobilized to co-create, establish digital infrastructure, upskill teachers, and close the digital gap. The authors propose the establishment of regional centers of excellence that can serve as innovation hubs for AI in schools and facilitate best practices sharing among states.

Finally, the report not only perceives AI as an agent for educational progress, but also as a driver for national transformation within a strategic framework. With the vision to become a developed nation by 2047, the education system must transform in response to the challenges of a knowledge-based economy. AI, employed well and inclusively, can construct a more equitable, forward-looking education system—a system that prepares all learners, empowers all teachers, and strengthens the very foundation of Viksit Bharat.