Walk into almost any school staffroom today and you will find two worlds sitting side by side.In one corner are the familiar symbols of teaching that have barely changed in decades: stacks of notebooks waiting to be checked, lesson plans being prepared, and teachers discussing the daily challenge of keeping students engaged.In the other corner are laptop screens glowing with AI-powered tools capable of generating worksheets, writing assessments, solving equations and answering questions in seconds.The arrival of artificial intelligence in education has sparked intense debate around the world. Will AI make learning more accessible? Will it transform teaching? Could it eventually replace teachers?Yet, rather than resisting the technology or embracing it unquestioningly, many educators are taking a more measured approach. They are experimenting with AI, testing its strengths and weaknesses, and developing their own rules for using it responsibly.What emerges from conversations with teachers is that AI is nowhere close to replacing them. Instead, it is changing how they work and forcing them to rethink what learning should look like in an age where information is available instantly.
AI as a support tool, not a replacement
For Gauri Chanda, a physics teacher with years of classroom experience, AI has become a practical tool rather than a revolutionary force.She describes it as a support system that helps reduce the burden of routine work. AI can help generate worksheets, suggest examples and organise lesson material, allowing teachers to spend more time on the aspects of teaching that require human judgment.
AI helps teachers save time on routine task, allowing them to focus on student interactions
“It helps me save time on routine tasks and allows me to focus more on interacting with students and making learning meaningful,” she says.In subjects like physics, where students often struggle to connect abstract concepts with everyday life, AI can also serve as a useful brainstorming partner. Teachers can ask for real-world examples, analogies and applications that make complex theories easier to understand.Yet Chanda is careful to draw a clear boundary.“I never rely on it blindly,” she says. “I cross-check information and use my professional judgment before taking anything into the classroom.”While AI can generate content quickly, it has no understanding of a particular classroom, a student’s learning style or the emotional and intellectual needs of individual learners. Those decisions, she argues, still require a teacher.
Staying updated in a rapidly changing environment
The same pattern is visible beyond traditional schools.Mrinalini Sharan, who teaches students from primary to middle-school grades through private tuition classes, has also integrated AI into her work. For her, one of the biggest advantages is staying updated with changing curricula and examination patterns.“It helps me stay up to date with students’ curriculum,” Sharan says. “It helps me understand changes and explain them better.”Like Chanda, however, she does not treat AI as an authority. When solving problems, particularly in mathematics, she already knows the concepts and methods involved.“The responses are widely satisfying,” she says. “I don’t rely on it for the primary solution. It just helps sort things out better for students.”For many educators, AI is not replacing expertise. It is helping them work more efficiently.
Why students still turn to teachers
Popular assumptions often portray young people as enthusiastic adopters of technology who would happily replace teachers with AI tutors. Yet many educators report a different reality.Students may use AI tools regularly, but when they genuinely struggle to understand a concept, they often return to a teacher.Sharan sees this repeatedly during tuition sessions.
Students still rely on teachers for learning and explanations
“Some students jokingly claim they can learn everything from ChatGPT,” she says. “Rather than arguing, I occasionally hand them my phone and ask them to follow the AI-generated explanation.”The outcome, she says, is surprisingly consistent.“Even when the explanation is technically correct, students frequently hand me the phone back after a few moments saying, ‘Ma’am, aap hi samjha do’.”For both teachers, that reaction highlights one of AI’s biggest limitations. It may provide information, but understanding often requires interaction, context and trust.A teacher can recognise confusion, rephrase an explanation, slow down, draw a diagram or connect a concept to a student’s interests. Educators say those interactions remain difficult to replicate through technology alone.
Expanding access to education
Yet dismissing AI entirely would be a mistake.Both Chanda and Sharan acknowledge that the technology offers significant benefits, particularly for students who lack access to educational support.
AI helps bridge learning gap for students who don’t have access to help
In many parts of the country, quality education remains unevenly distributed. Students may not have access to tuition classes, specialised teachers or academic guidance outside school hours.For these learners, AI can function as an educational companion.As Sharan puts it: “Smartphones are getting more accessible than the real education ecosystem. So, for students who do not have access to this ecosystem — those who cannot afford tuition classes or a good school — it is definitely a boon.”As smartphones become more widespread, AI tools may help bridge some of those gaps by providing explanations, practice questions and on-demand assistance.
The risk of shortcut learning
While AI can improve access to information, teachers increasingly worry about its unintended impact on how students learn.Sharan believes easy access to answers may discourage students from developing critical thinking skills.“If students rely too much on AI, they will find it convenient not to use their critical thinking skills,” she says. “They are not using books and might lose touch with the comprehension of navigating answers while scanning the book.”Traditionally, finding an answer required effort. Students had to search textbooks, compare information from different sources, identify relevant sections and interpret what they read.The process itself helped develop important cognitive abilities.AI dramatically shortens that journey.This concern becomes even more significant among younger learners. Students who are still developing reading, comprehension and analytical skills often need direct guidance. Teachers argue that AI cannot replace the foundational instruction required to build those abilities.
Rethinking homework and assessment
The rise of AI is also forcing educators to rethink how they assess learning.Traditional homework assignments are becoming less reliable indicators of understanding because AI can complete many tasks quickly and effectively.As a result, some teachers are shifting their focus from answers to process.Chanda has embraced this approach. Her assignments increasingly require observation, experimentation, discussion, personal reflection and real-world application of concepts.Students are often asked not only what answer they reached, but how they arrived there.The emphasis shifts from correctness alone to understanding.“When assigning work, I try to design tasks that require genuine thinking,” she says.Such assignments are harder to outsource because they depend on individual reasoning and lived experiences.
Teaching students to use AI responsibly
This shift reflects a broader transformation taking place across education.In a world where information is instantly accessible, the ability to ask meaningful questions may become more valuable than the ability to memorise answers.
Rather than pretending AI does not exist, teachers focus more on making students aware to use it responsibly
Teachers are increasingly helping students develop curiosity, analytical thinking and judgment.Chanda regularly discusses AI with her students, encouraging them to understand both its strengths and limitations.Students learn about misinformation, algorithmic bias and the possibility that AI-generated content can sound convincing while being incorrect.The goal is not to discourage technology use but to encourage responsible use.“I remind them that AI can be a helpful assistant, but it should not replace curiosity, critical thinking or originality,” she says.
Schools still finding their approach
One of the most striking aspects of AI’s arrival in education is that many schools are still figuring out how to respond.Unlike smartphones, which eventually became subject to formal policies in most institutions, AI remains a grey area in many classrooms.Some schools have begun discussing guidelines for assignments and assessments. Others are largely leaving decisions to individual teachers.Educators say this flexibility has allowed experimentation, but it has also created uncertainty about what constitutes acceptable use.For now, there is no single model. A physics teacher, a mathematics tutor and a primary school educator may all use AI differently because their needs are different.
Future of AI in education
Technology companies will continue developing more sophisticated educational tools. New platforms will promise personalised instruction, automated feedback and tailored learning experiences.Some of these innovations may prove genuinely useful.Yet the teachers experimenting with AI today believe the central question is no longer whether AI belongs in education. It already does.The more important question is how students and teachers choose to use it.As Chanda puts it: “AI is here to stay. The challenge is learning how to use it wisely.”For now, educators are not handing over their classrooms to machines. They are using the technology where it helps, questioning it where it falls short, and trying to ensure that curiosity, judgment and critical thinking remain at the centre of learning.
