Kerala: First AI Teacher 'Iris' Makes Waves At Kallambalam School

In a quiet hall, when a student posed a question, whether related to their syllabus or any topic, Iris quickly provided an answer, complete with examples and references.

Iris operates on the generative AI model, reportedly capable of transforming voice into text and vice versa.

Source : Pixabay

Dressed in a saree, Iris, a humanoid, attentively listened to a question from a student at KTCT Higher Secondary School in Kallambalam "What is the most expensive thing in the world?" Before responding with detailed information, Iris nodded, capturing the attention of the other curious students and then gave the answer. This marked the debut of 'Iris', Kerala's first AI teacher.

A poor network connection and background noise from children often caused delays for Iris, mistaking these sounds for questions directed at 'her'. When the noise level was high, Iris needed more time to process any question.

However, in a quiet hall, when a student posed a question, whether related to their syllabus or any topic, Iris quickly provided an answer, complete with examples and references, reported PTI.

"Our next step is to give her 'eyes' so that she will identify each student and answer their questions. She would be becoming more interactive and completely automated," explained Abhijith, an eighth-grader actively involved with Makerlabs Edutech Private Limited in creating this AI teacher. His work is part of an initiative by the Atal Tinkering Lab at the school.

He mentioned that if the classroom is noisy, the AI teacher won't be able to respond to the students' questions, thus encouraging more disciplined behavior among the children.

"The excitement among the children is palpable, particularly with the lower KG students. They are fond of this 'teacher' because she remains calm, never shows anger or irritation, and always provides answers to their questions. Interestingly, she doesn’t pose questions to them nor assigns homework," Meera Suresh, the principal of KTCT Higher Secondary School, shared with PTI.

Iris operates on the generative AI model, reportedly capable of transforming voice into text and vice versa. It is equipped to understand three languages, can shake hands with students upon request, and even narrate stories to them, according to the report.