Saturday, July 26, 2025

ANCIENT WISDOM, DIGITAL AGE: WHAT DRONACHARYA KNEW ABOUT TEACHING WITH AI

Education 2047 #Blog 43 (27 JUL 2025)

The Semicircle That Started a Revolution

In the quiet corridors of Government Higher Secondary School, Karuvarakundu, Kerala, something extraordinary happened. Inspired by a Malayalam film called Manjummel Boys, the teachers made a simple yet profound decision: they eliminated the back rows entirely. Students now sat in a perfect semicircle around their educator, each face equally distant from knowledge, each voice equally heard. Social media erupted with debate, but the school had unknowingly ignited a much larger conversation about where teachers belong in the modern classroom—and how artificial intelligence is reshaping that answer.

This small act of spatial rebellion tells a deeper story about education's most enduring image: the teacher standing authoritatively at the front, delivering wisdom to neat rows of passive recipients. For centuries, this "sage on the stage" model served us well when education meant transferring facts from one mind to many. But today, as AI chatbots answer questions instantly and machine learning platforms adapt to individual learning styles, that familiar classroom portrait is becoming as outdated as a horse-drawn carriage on a highway.

The Ladder We Must All Climb

To understand where teachers should position themselves, we first need to map the territory of learning itself. Anderson and Krathwohl's revised Bloom's Taxonomy (2001) gives us six rungs on the cognitive ladder: Remembering basic facts, Understanding concepts, Applying knowledge to new situations, Analyzing connections between ideas, Evaluating different perspectives, and finally Creating something entirely new.

Each rung demands different positioning from educators, and increasingly, each level is being transformed by artificial intelligence. The question isn't whether AI will change education—it already has. HolonIQ's 2024 research reveals that 42% of students globally already use AI chatbots for academic help. The question is whether teachers will evolve their positioning to harness this transformation or be left behind by it.

Act I: Sage on the Stage

Picture a primary school classroom where seven-year-olds are learning their multiplication tables. Here, the teacher rightfully commands the front of the room, voice clear and gestures deliberate. At the foundational levels—Remembering and Understanding—direct instruction remains not just effective but essential. Young minds need structure, repetition, and the human warmth that transforms abstract symbols into meaningful knowledge.

But even here, AI is quietly revolutionizing the script. When a student struggles with fractions, ChatGPT can generate infinite practice problems tailored to their specific confusion. When concepts need visualization, tools like Khanmigo can create interactive demonstrations that make abstract ideas tangible. The teacher's role isn't diminished—it's enriched. Instead of being the sole source of information, they become the conductor of a learning orchestra where AI provides some instruments while human wisdom guides the symphony.

Consider Mrs. Sharma teaching grammar to her fifth-grade class. She explains the rules from the front as always, but now encourages students to experiment with AI tools that generate sentences, identify errors, and explore language patterns. She's still the sage, but she's sharing the stage with digital collaborators that never tire, never run out of examples, and never lose patience with repetition.

Act II: Guide by the Side

As students mature into secondary school, something magical happens—they begin to think independently. Here, the teacher's position shifts literally and figuratively. No longer planted at the front like a lighthouse, they begin to move, circulate, and guide from beside their learners. This is where Applying and Analyzing skills flourish, where knowledge transforms into capability.

In Mrs. Patel's business studies class, students use AI-powered analytics tools to examine real customer data, searching for patterns and insights. But the magic isn't in the AI's computational power—it's in Mrs. Patel's questions as she moves between groups: "What biases might this data contain? What story is it hiding? How would you convince a skeptical CEO with these findings?" The McKinsey Global Institute's 2021 research confirms what educators intuitively know: graduates with strong analytical skills are 45% more likely to secure employment in high-growth sectors, but only when they can think critically about the tools they use.

Here, AI becomes not a replacement but a powerful collaborator. Adaptive learning platforms like DreamBox personalize mathematical challenges, while virtual laboratories like Labster allow students to conduct experiments impossible in physical classrooms. The teacher's expertise lies not in competing with these tools but in helping students navigate them wisely, interpret their outputs critically, and connect their insights to larger human purposes.

Act III: Pack at the Back

The most profound transformation happens in higher education, where the teacher's position becomes almost invisible—present but unobtrusive, available but not imposing. At MIT's Media Lab, faculty don't lecture from podiums; they circulate quietly among students who are creating AI-powered prototypes, designing innovative solutions, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. This "pack at the back" positioning has yielded over 1,000 patents and dozens of successful startups—testament to what happens when educators trust learners to lead.

At these highest cognitive levels—Evaluating and Creating—AI's role becomes both more powerful and more problematic. Generative tools can help law students draft legal arguments, assist artists in exploring new styles, and enable programmers to write complex code. But here's where human judgment becomes irreplaceable: determining whether AI outputs are correct, ethical, or truly original.

Consider the flipped classrooms at JIS College of Engineering, where students arrive having already engaged with content through videos and AI learning platforms. Class time becomes sacred space for collaboration, debate, and application. Teachers position themselves at the room's periphery, moving quietly between circular tables where students grapple with real problems. When confusion arises or debates reach impasses, the teacher steps in—not to provide answers but to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and guide thinking toward deeper insights.

This positioning requires courage from educators and trust from institutions. When inspection teams visit, they might wonder why the teacher isn't lecturing from the front. But JISCE became the first Indian institution endorsed for Flipped Learning by AICTE, MHRD, The World Bank Group, UNESCO, NPIU, and Microsoft—proving that "pack at the back" teaching can mean reduced traditional lecture hours but dramatically higher learning impact.

The Cost of Standing Still

Yet many educators remain frozen at the front of their classrooms, even as the world transforms around them. The consequences extend far beyond individual careers—they're undermining entire nations' competitiveness. Despite India's vast education system, the country contributes only 2% of global patents according to WIPO's 2023 data. NASSCOM's research reveals that 45% of Indian engineering graduates are unemployable in knowledge economy jobs, lacking the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that modern workplaces demand.

A 2023 FICCI survey found that 65% of CEOs cite "lack of higher-order cognitive skills" among graduates as a major business challenge. These aren't skills that AI can impart through algorithms alone—they require human mentorship, guided practice, and the wisdom that comes from positioning educators where they can nurture rather than merely instruct.

The Dance of Complementarity

The solution isn't choosing between teachers and AI—it's orchestrating their dance. LinkedIn's 2024 Global Talent Report identifies critical thinking, creativity, and AI fluency as the top three skills employers seek. Notice that two are uniquely human, while one requires human wisdom to use effectively.

Teacher Position	Cognitive Skills Developed	AI's Role
Sage on the Stage	Remembering, Understanding	AI provides instant answers, visualizations, and adaptive content delivery
Guide by the Side	Applying, Analyzing	AI offers practice platforms and data tools; teachers coach critical evaluation
Pack at the Back	Evaluating, Creating	AI sparks ideas and generates content; teachers guide ethics, originality, and synthesis

Teacher Position

Cognitive Skills Developed

AI's Role

Sage on the Stage

Remembering, Understanding

AI provides instant answers, visualizations, and adaptive content delivery

Guide by the Side

Applying, Analyzing

AI offers practice platforms and data tools; teachers coach critical evaluation

Pack at the Back

Evaluating, Creating

AI sparks ideas and generates content; teachers guide ethics, originality, and synthesis

This framework reveals education's future: teachers as learning architects who design experiences blending human wisdom with technological power. Their positioning becomes fluid—stepping forward when foundations need laying, moving beside when skills need practicing, staying behind when creativity needs space to flourish.

The Eternal Wisdom

Perhaps the ancient Indian tradition understood this long before we had words for it. Great teachers like Dronacharya and Vashisht positioned themselves behind their students, not because they lacked knowledge but because they understood something profound: true learning happens when teacher and learner look together toward the goal—not merely at each other.

In our age of artificial intelligence, this wisdom becomes more relevant than ever. The teacher's power lies not in occupying the front of the room but in knowing when to step forward, stand beside, or stay behind. AI handles routine tasks, but educators cultivate higher-order thinking, empathy, and creativity—the uniquely human capacities that no algorithm can replicate.

The future belongs to teachers and AI who learn to shape-shift together, lifting learners from memorization into a new era of evaluation, creation, and innovation. The revolution started with a simple semicircle in Kerala, but it will transform how we learn, teach, and grow as human beings in partnership with our artificial collaborators.

* * * * *

About the Author

As Pro-Chancellor of JIS University in Kolkata, the author stands at the fascinating intersection where educational tradition meets technological revolution. His career has taken him through the corridors of India's most influential educational bodies—from shaping policy as an Adviser to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to forecasting technological futures as a Scientist with the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC).

His expertise in bridging the gap between emerging technologies and learning ecosystems culminated in co-authoring the seminal Technology Vision 2035: Roadmap for Education, a blueprint that envisions how India's educational future will unfold in the digital age.

The insights presented here reflect his personal observations and analysis, independent of any institutional affiliations.

Previous blogs

§ Will Universities Survive the Age of AI and BCI ?

§ From Factories of Marks to Foundries of Character: Indian Higher Education in the AI Age

§ Breaking the Silos: Remagining Universities without Subjects (PART II)

§ Breaking the Silos: Reimagining Universities without Subjects (PART I)

§ Designed to Label, Doomed to Lose: Rethinking a System that Fails its Learners

§ The Missing Catalyst: Peer Learning as the Core of Educational Transformation

§ The Great Educational Reversal: Responding to AI's New Role in Learning

§ Architects of Viksit Bharat: Why Universities must Recognize Achievement over Graduation

§ Liquidating Cognitive Stagnation in UG Education- The 'SPRINT' Model Blueprint for Change

§ Architects of Viksit Bharat: Why Universities must Recognize Achievement over Graduation

§ The Digital Macaulay: A Modern Threat to Indian Higher Education

§ Why Instant Information Demands a Fundamental Rethink of Education Systems?

§ From Pedagogy to AI-Driven Heutagogy: Redefining Leadership in Universities

§ NEP 2020: Can India’s Education Policy Keep Pace with the FLEXPER Revolution?

§ The Liberating Manifesto: Empowering Faculty to Break Traditional Boundaries

§ From Memory to Creativity: Rejigging Grading & Assessment for 21st Century Higher Education

§ Accreditation and Ranking in Indian Academia: Adapting to New Learning Paradigms

§ Reimagining Education: FLEXPER Learning as a Path beyond Age-based Classrooms

§ Broken by Design: The Worrying State of Secondary Education in India

§ Rethinking Learning: A World Without Curriculum, Classes, Nor Exams

§ Empowering Learners: Heutagogical Strategies for Indian Higher Education

§ Heutagogy: The Future of Learning, Rendering Traditional Education Obsolete

§ The Forgotten Half: Learning from Fallen Ideas through the Metaphor of Dakshinayana

§ 3+1 Mistakes in the Indian Higher Education System

§ Weathering the Technological Storm: The Impact of Internet and AI on Education

§ The High Cost of Success: Examining the Dark Side of India's Coaching Culture

§ Navigating the Flaws: A Journey into the Depths of India's Educational Framework

§ From Knowledge to Experience: Transforming Credentialing to Future-Proof Careers

§ Futuristic Frameworks- Rethinking Teacher Training For Learner-Centric Education

§ Unveiling New Markers of India's Education-2047

§ Redefining Doctoral Education with Independent Research Paths

§ Elevating Teachers for India's Amrit Kaal

§ Re-engineering Educational Systems for Maximizing Learning

§ 'Rubricating' Education for Better Learning Outcomes

§ Indiscipline in Disciplines for Multidisciplinary Education!

§ Re'class'ification of Learning for the New Normal

§ Reconfiguring Education as 'APP' Learning

§ Rejigging Universities with a COVID moment

§ Reimagining Engineering Education for 'Techcelerating' Times

§ Uprighting STEM Education with 7x24 Lab

§ Dismantling Macaulay's Schools with 'Online' Support

§ Moving Towards Education Without Examinations

§ Disruptive Technologies in Education and Challenges in its Governance

Thursday, July 3, 2025

WILL UNIVERSITIES SURVIVE THE AGE OF AI AND BCI?

Education 2047 #Blog 42 (03 JUL 2025)

A question has been simmering beneath the surface of my professional life, growing more urgent each time I read a new research paper or witness another technological leap forward: Will universities survive the age of AI and BCI?

It’s not a rhetorical question, nor is it intended to be alarmist. It’s a genuine inquiry, rooted in my work in technology foresight and a growing body of evidence that suggests the very foundations of higher education are being shaken by forces more powerful and pervasive than anything we’ve seen before.

For years, I’ve been writing and speaking about how universities, as institutions, are drifting perilously close to irrelevance because they have largely ignored the profound technological upheaval transforming society. Peter Diamandis, the futurist and founder of XPRIZE, has been raising similar alarms, warning that traditional universities could face mass extinction unless they undergo radical transformation.

The culprit isn’t a single technology but a convergence of multiple forces: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), mixed reality, and the democratizing power of the internet. Together, these forces are not merely enhancing education—they are redefining its very purpose.

The Technological Earthquake Beneath Higher Education

Let’s first ground ourselves in some data, because this isn’t speculation—it’s happening now. The global market for online learning is projected to reach $319 billion by 2025, more than three times its 2020 size. The market for AI in education is expected to surge to $6 billion in the same time frame, driven by intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive learning platforms, and automated content creation. Meanwhile, mixed reality (XR) is growing at an annual rate exceeding 44 percent, promising immersive learning environments that blend the digital and physical worlds.

Yet these figures, significant as they are, only scratch the surface of what’s coming. The most transformative forces are AI and BCI—technologies poised not merely to support learning, but to radically redefine how human beings acquire, process, and apply knowledge.

AI: The Rise of Machine Intelligence as Teacher

For centuries, education was fundamentally a process of storing knowledge in human brains. We learned facts, memorized formulas, and repeated them in examinations, because the only reliable “hard drive” we had was the one inside our skulls. But that premise has collapsed.

Large Language Models like GPT-4 and its successors can now explain complex concepts, summarize dense academic texts, generate essays, simulate tutoring dialogues, and even help students debug code or solve advanced mathematics problems. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have evolved into personal learning companions capable of tailoring explanations to individual learners’ styles, speeds, and prior knowledge.

This is far beyond a digital library or a smart search engine. These systems are outsourcing cognitive work that used to belong exclusively to human experts. Peter Diamandis has described AI tutors as ultimately “far better than any human teacher at personalizing learning to the individual.” I share that assessment—and I believe that’s why the traditional university lecture is becoming obsolete at astonishing speed.

We’re no longer talking about digitizing lectures or placing syllabi online. We’re talking about a world where machines can teach, test, provide instant feedback, and even generate new knowledge. In this world, the question shifts from “What do you know?” to “What can you do that machines cannot?

BCI: Learning at the Speed of Thought

Even more profound than AI’s impact is the impending revolution of Brain-Computer Interfaces. For decades, BCIs were confined to science fiction or medical research labs. But that’s changing rapidly. Companies like Neuralink, Kernel, and others are developing devices capable of decoding brain signals with extraordinary precision, creating a direct link between the brain and external digital systems.

Imagine learning a foreign language through direct neural stimulation, bypassing months of classes. Picture real-time translation streamed straight into your auditory cortex while you listen to a lecture in a language you’ve never studied. Envision compressing years of technical training into weeks because new neural pathways are forged by precisely targeted electrical signals.

These possibilities are not purely speculative. In 2021, researchers achieved brain-to-text communication at a rate of 90 words per minute in paralyzed patients. BCIs have enabled monkeys to control robotic limbs through thought alone. Analysts now forecast commercial human BCI applications within this decade.

If AI represents a “brain outside the brain,” BCI is about rewiring the brain itself. It promises to collapse learning timelines and render traditional educational structures quaint, if not entirely obsolete. Peter Diamandis predicts that BCIs will “supercharge human cognition.” I believe they will obliterate the slow, linear model of traditional education. Once we can download knowledge or accelerate synaptic learning, the idea of spending three to five years earning a degree will seem almost absurd.

The University’s Dilemma: Denial and Inertia

Despite these profound changes unfolding around them, many universities remain locked into centuries-old models. They digitize lectures rather than reinvent pedagogy. They continue to demand memorization for examinations, even though AI can supply facts instantaneously. They cling to rigid degree structures at a time when digital credentials and blockchain-based badges are challenging the university’s traditional role as gatekeeper of professional validation.

This resistance to change is not entirely surprising. Universities are among the oldest continuously operating institutions on earth, some stretching back a thousand years. Their prestige, authority, and business models are deeply intertwined with tradition, physical infrastructure, and regulatory systems that move at glacial speed.

There’s also a very human dimension to this inertia. Educators fear that machines might replace their roles—or at least render them less central. Administrators worry about the collapse of tuition revenue models, alumni networks, and reputational rankings. And students themselves are often conditioned to believe that the traditional degree remains their best hope for future success.

Yet as Diamandis emphasizes, technology advances exponentially. Universities that fail to acknowledge this reality risk not merely falling behind—they risk becoming irrelevant.

Beyond Memorization: The New Purpose of Universities

If memorization is obsolete, and if AI and BCI are taking over information delivery and even aspects of cognition itself, then universities must redefine their purpose. What remains uniquely human?

First and foremost, universities can become centers of creativity and critical thinking. While AI can generate content and solve certain problems, it still struggles with complex ethical reasoning, deep contextual understanding, and truly novel creativity. Humans remain irreplaceable when it comes to synthesizing disparate ideas, empathizing with others, and innovating solutions for ambiguous challenges.

Universities must also embrace experiential learning. Knowledge isn’t just something to be memorized; it’s something to be practiced, built upon, and integrated into real-world contexts. Mixed reality, AI-driven simulations, and hands-on projects can transform education into an immersive experience where students learn by doing.

Equally important, universities should serve as hubs for community and human connection. They are places where diverse individuals meet, collaborate, debate, and form relationships that often last a lifetime. AI may simulate conversation, but it cannot replicate genuine human bonds, mentorship, or the complex social dynamics that foster personal growth and emotional intelligence.

Finally, universities should evolve into engines of lifelong learning. In a world where the half-life of knowledge is shrinking, people will need to retrain and upskill continually. Universities can play a crucial role by offering flexible pathways, personalized curricula, and micro-credentials that adapt to each learner’s evolving career and life goals.

Will Universities Survive?

Peter Diamandis and I are both on same page: we’re not witnessing a minor tweak in how education operates. We are watching a profound reinvention of what it means to learn, teach, and certify human capability. Technologies like AI and BCI will make rote learning unnecessary, compress knowledge acquisition into breathtaking timescales, and erode the traditional monopoly universities have held over credentials.

The question is no longer whether this transformation is coming. It’s already here, gathering momentum with each passing year. The only questions left are: How fast will it happen—and who will adapt in time?

I believe universities can survive—and even thrive—in the age of AI and BCI. But survival will depend on their willingness to shed old identities and embrace entirely new roles. They must become architects of human potential in an age where machines handle information faster and better than we ever could.

So I return to the question that keeps me awake at night: Will universities survive the age of AI and BCI? They can—but only if they stop looking the other way and start leading the future.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, in the comment box at the end. Are universities ready to evolve—or destined to become relics of a pre-digital age?

About the Author

With a career spanning the crossroads of education reform and technological foresight, the author is currently the Pro-Chancellor of JIS University in Kolkata. His professional journey includes influential national positions, having served as Adviser to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and as a Scientist at the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC).

Drawing on decades of experience analyzing technological trends and their impact on learning, he played a pivotal role in crafting the landmark report Technology Vision 2035: Roadmap for Education, which mapped how emerging technologies could transform India’s educational landscape.

The perspectives shared in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent official views of any organization with which he is affiliated.

Previous blogs

§ From Factories of Marks to Foundries of Character: Indian Higher Education in the AI Age

§ Breaking the Silos: Remagining Universities without Subjects (PART II)