Zoho Corporation co-founder Sridhar Vembu on Tuesday highlighted the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, particularly for rural students, stressing the need for purpose-built AI models to support teachers, enhance learning outcomes, and enable students to work on practical projects.
Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit, Vembu said Zoho’s initiatives are focused on grassroots education, drawing from its experience of working closely with rural student communities.
“We serve a predominantly rural student population, and we have seen education from the ground up. The foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) challenge is where I am most excited to use AI tools — to help teachers better reach students. Teachers can use these tools to help students improve,” he said.
“These are purpose-built, small models that can solve specific problems effectively. We encourage our students to build projects. Nowadays, we are even building small-scale custom electric vehicles. In this process, AI is working as a massive learning booster,” Vembu added.
Addressing the broader role of AI in India, the Zoho co-founder said the country’s young population is uniquely positioned to adopt emerging technologies at scale.
“With our vast youth population, we have the most AI-enthusiastic population in the world. We are adopting AI faster than any other nation. Our youth are at the forefront,” he said.
He noted that AI is already being rapidly deployed in software development, resulting in significant productivity gains.
“We are seeing massive productivity improvements. New jobs will be created, and software engineers will have to move closer to customers and focus on solving real-world problems,” Vembu said.
India is hosting the India AI Impact Summit from February 16 to 20 at Bharat Mandapam, bringing together governments, industry leaders, researchers, startups, students, and citizens from across the world. (ANI)
