(AI-in-Education) Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday chaired a high-level roundtable with founders of 10 new-age Indian startups using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education at IIT Delhi. The interaction brought together policymakers, academic leaders and entrepreneurs to explore how AI can transform India’s education ecosystem in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The meeting also set the stage for the upcoming Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026, to be held on 12–13 February at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
A Platform for Policy, Academia and Startups
The roundtable was attended by Shri Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State (MoS) for Education and Development of North Eastern Region, and Shri Jayant Chaudhary, MoS for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (IC). It formed part of a broader series of initiatives by the Ministry of Education to harness the potential of AI for systemic reforms in learning and skilling.
Discussions focused on leveraging AI to improve access, quality and outcomes across K-12 education, test preparation, upskilling, language learning and skill education, especially for students in underserved regions.
Startups Showcasing AI-First Solutions
The roundtable showcased a new generation of Indian startups building AI-first education solutions. Participating companies included Arivihan, Fermi AI, Khare.AI, Seekho, SpeakX, SuperKalam, SuperNova, Vedantu, ConveGenius, and Virohan.
These startups demonstrated how AI can be deployed for personalized learning, adaptive assessments, language training and scalable skilling, reinforcing the role of technology as a catalyst for inclusive education.
Road to the India AI Impact Summit
The interaction was organised as a precursor to the India AI Impact Summit. Insights and recommendations from the roundtable will feed into broader policy and ecosystem deliberations at the summit, with a focus on responsible AI adoption, safeguards, and scaling impact across sectors, particularly education.
Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026: Focus on Strategy and Scale
The roundtable will be followed by the two-day Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave on 12–13 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The conclave will bring together senior policymakers from the Centre and States, researchers, academic institutions and industry leaders to deliberate on AI’s strategic role in transforming India’s education ecosystem. Key themes will include innovation, scalable adoption, and national capacity building.
Minister’s Message: AI for Viksit Bharat @ 2047
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan expressed satisfaction at engaging with home-grown startup founders building indigenous “AI-powered solutions from India to the World.” He noted that many founders come from middle-class and tier-III city backgrounds, and said their work reflects a deep understanding of India-centric educational challenges.
Emphasising that technology is a powerful instrument of empowerment and inclusion, the Minister underlined AI’s central role in advancing the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047. He encouraged entrepreneurs to build solutions rooted in Indian values, languages and contexts, while maintaining global relevance, and assured full government support in strengthening digital public infrastructure (DPI) in education and national technological sovereignty.
Industry Perspective: EdTech as a National Capability
Shri Ashutosh Sharma, a long-term investor in India’s digital ecosystem, stressed that education technology should be viewed as a national capability rather than a short-term commercial opportunity. He said AI marks a historic inflection point, making it possible to deliver quality learning to every learner, irrespective of geography or income, and described technology as the only truly scalable solution to bridging India’s education gap.
Broad Participation from Institutions and Stakeholders: AI-in-Education
The roundtable saw participation from senior officials and leaders including Shri Sanjay Kumar (Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy), Dr Vineet Joshi (Secretary, Department of Higher Education), Shri Rangan Banerjee (Director, IIT Delhi), Prof V Kamakoti (Director, IIT Madras), and representatives from NSDC, IT Skill Sector Council, NASSCOM, NCVET, as well as heads of CBSE, KVS, NVS, NIOS, and other key institutions.
Conclusion
The AI-in-education roundtable chaired by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan marks a significant step in aligning policy, innovation and entrepreneurship to reshape India’s learning landscape. With the Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 set to deepen these conversations, the government’s focus is clear: to harness AI responsibly and at scale to build an inclusive, future-ready education system that supports India’s journey toward Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
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Source: PIB
