“Sir, can you explain how to do this math problem?” Mithila, a tenth-grade student, asked her AI tutor this way at eight in the evening. The interesting part: the AI did not hand her the answer directly. Instead, it walked her through the problem step by step, just as a caring private tutor would.

Artificial intelligence is now playing a major role in education through personalized learning. That means understanding each student's individual weaknesses and providing help accordingly — something a single teacher can hardly do at once for 30 students in a classroom. Many schools around the world are now testing such AI tutors on a trial basis, and the early results look quite encouraging. It is proving especially effective for students who feel hesitant to ask questions in class.

But the real picture is somewhat more complicated. Many students now use AI to get their homework done entirely, without making the effort to learn anything themselves. As a result, instead of building skills, they are building dependence — which may be even more harmful in the long run.

So, is AI turning into an enemy of education and teachers? No. The real question is whether we make it a companion for learning or simply an easy tool for taking shortcuts. The answer is ours to build — for the sake of our future generation.

Author: Tech blogger and content creator