Karnataka rolls out new AI assistant for teachers with Microsoft's support: Report

In its initial phase, 1,000 teachers across the state will receive training on using Shiksha Co-pilot.

The Karnataka government on Friday launched Shiksha Co-pilot, an Artificial Intelligence-powered digital assistant for teachers.

The initiative is a collaboration between the Sikshana Foundation and Microsoft Research India. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Minister of School Education and Literacy, Madhu Bangarappa who launched the tool said the project primarily aims to improve learning outcomes and empower teachers to create comprehensive, personalised teaching resources and learning experiences grounded in local curriculum, language and context, The Hindu reported.

The initiative is a collaboration between the Sikshana Foundation and Microsoft Research India.

According a press release released by the department, “Shiksha Co-pilot is centred around the teachers’ needs by focusing on empowering teachers to generate high-quality personalized content while also reducing the time to do this. It will also support the dynamic curation of engaging teaching resources such as hands-on activities, assessments, real-world examples/ applications, short videos and comprehensive lesson plans based on teachers’ inputs. It also provides a chat-bot for teachers for self-learning and interactive content generation.

“Our Chief Minister directed us to take steps to provide quality education to government schoolchildren using technology. This initiative will enhance the teaching ability of educators and the learning capacity of student, ” Bangarappa said as reported by The Hindu.

In its initial phase, 1,000 teachers across the state will receive training on using Shiksha Co-pilot, with plans to extend the project statewide as it progresses.

AI for women's safety

Recently, Karnataka's minister for Medical Education & Skill Development Sharan Prakash Patil suggested integration of AI technology in the security system to ensure safety of women healthcare personnel across Karnataka.

The minister chaired a high-level meeting at Vikasa Soudha to discuss measures aimed at strengthening security at medical colleges, hospitals and hostels. This follows a previous meeting led by Patil to review the current security systems and propose enhancements.

“To further ensure safety, 24/7 canteen facilities should be available so that women healthcare staff do not need to leave the premises,” the minister said.