How Much AI Does Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Use? What He Told NDTV

Artificial Intelligence is a tool to do many things in a short span, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said. Speaking to NDTV, Mr Pradhan outlined his vision for AI in education and its role in strengthening students' learning.

"I categorically visualise a very bright pathway in the future. AI is an opportunity," the minister said.

Asked about students using AI to complete homework, Mr Pradhan said, "The teacher will ask questions after preparing himself or herself using AI. Students will learn, read, and use AI's intelligence. There are four options: you use its intelligence, find the proper one, and report it; it will be reevaluated by another two. In this way, the teacher, the student, and the entire society will be more focused in a short span on many things."

Asked how much time he gives to AI, Mr Pradhan said he interacts with multiple platforms daily.

"Every day I chat with many platforms and consciously do one thing: I ask many questions about society, plans, and aspirations," he said.

"I always ask many questions in my mother tongue, Odiya, because I want the repository of AI to reflect our own civilisational values," he added.

Among the topics he asks questions on are Chanakya, Skanda Purana, the authorship of the Mahabharata, and links between Ayurveda, turmeric, and allopathic medicine. According to him, this approach helps "create a network, a pathway for interconnectedness."

The minister was also questioned about the National Education Policy 2020, especially over concerns over changes in syllabus and the addition or removal of chapters "convenient to the current regime."

Mr Pradhan strongly rejected claims of erasing historical content. "We have not removed any chapters. Those who are in charge have derailed the aspiration of Bharat. They have misled the background and civilisational values of Bharat," he said.

In the same interview, Mr Pradhan also dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's claim that Gen Z is aligned against the BJP, saying "Nobody has a monopoly on Gen Z." He spoke about the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections, where the BJP's student wing, ABVP, won three of the four key posts.

Mr Pradhan said, "Results show the trend. Gen Z is for Bharat, and PM Modi is representing Bharat." He said that Gen Z's preferences cannot be claimed by any single political party.