Galgotias ‘robodog’ is for the memes. Real AI challenge lies in classrooms

The fracas over Galgotias University’s “robodog”, a Chinese-manufactured product that the private institute displayed in its stall at the AI Impact Summit, was destined for glib memes and headlines. The incident, however, is neither the main takeaway from the summit nor does it flag the challenge that India faces due to the AI transformations. The challenge lies not in the stalls and halls of Bharat Mandapam but in lakhs of classrooms across the country. In 2024-25 alone, around 20 million children enrolled in Class I across the country. And total enrolment in higher education increased to nearly 4.33 crore in 2021-22 — up 26.5 per cent from 2014-15. Many of those coming into universities today are first-generation learners, often from historically marginalised communities. Yet even as the classrooms are asked to open their doors wider, the nature of pedagogy and assessment in schools and higher education institutions follows paradigms that came about in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution, for an imperial power’s needs, with mere tweaks along the way to suit the needs of a newly independent nation. To turn India’s AI vision and ambition into reality, and to ensure that this massive cohort of young people is not left behind, an overhaul is needed. Of course, the need to reform education predates the AI challenge. In 2020, the new National Education Policy suggested inter-disciplinarity and conceptual clarity over memorisation and rote learning, and a move from an emphasis on enrolment to outcomes and quality. It also suggested that at least 6 per cent of GDP be spent on education. Progress, however, has been slow, mired in institutional inertia and vexed issues of linguistic politics. None of this is to suggest that no gains have been made. Since Independence, islands of excellence, across disciplines and regions, have been created. The problem is that their success has not been scalable at the national level. The speed with which new technologies are altering the nature of learning, work and jobs leaves little room for piecemeal reform. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s formulation, MANAV (Moral and Ethical Systems, Accountable Governance, National Sovereignty, Accessible and Inclusive Technology, and Valid and Legitimate Systems), seeks to place the well-being of people as the guiding principle of AI development. To take that vision outside the summit hall and policy document requires enabling and catalysing reforms while, at the same time, ensuring institutional autonomy, especially in higher education. It means creating a classroom that nurtures excellence, and a campus that is free from fear and open to ideas and innovation.