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AI Edtech Dialogue Urges Education Reimagining for Every Child

Reliance Foundation and Central Square Foundation hosted a high-level AI in Education roundtable as a pre-summit event for the 2026 India AI Impact Summit. Experts called for a fundamental reimagining of education systems to move beyond one-size-fits-all models towards personalized, student-centric learning enabled by AI. The discussion highlighted philanthropy's critical role in scaling proven, contextualized solutions that work within India's diverse and often low-bandwidth environments. A key consensus was that AI must act as a supportive force multiplier for equity, with teachers and parents remaining central to the learning process.

Key Points: AI in Education: Reimagining Systems for Equity & Scale

  • Reimagine education for AI era
  • Scale contextualized solutions via government systems
  • Philanthropy key for responsible AI-EdTech
  • Teachers & parents remain central with AI as enabler
3 min read

Reliance Foundation and Central Square Foundation host AI Edtech Dialogue, recommends urgent reimagination of education in the AI era

Leaders at Reliance Foundation roundtable call for urgent, personalized education models powered by AI to improve learning outcomes across India.

"It is time to re-imagine our Education System... bring Personalised Education to every child on the planet. - Shailesh Kumar"

Mumbai, January 13

Reliance Foundation, in partnership with Central Square Foundation, convened a high-level roundtable on AI in Education at Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai, as an official pre-summit event of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. As per a press release by the Reliance Foundation, the half-day convening brought together over 50 leaders and experts from philanthropic organisations, EdTech, academia and the private sector to examine how Artificial Intelligence and EdTech can be harnessed to improve learning outcomes and rethink education in the age of AI.

The India AI Impact Summit, to be held in February 2026 in New Delhi, is the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South. It is anchored in the three Sutras of People, Planet, and Progress, aiming to democratize AI resources for social good.

The convening concluded with a synthesis of strategic insights to inform ongoing national and global conversations at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Participants reiterated the importance of sustained collaboration between governments, the private sector, innovators, researchers, and funders to ensure that AI-enabled EdTech strengthens education systems at scale rather than creating standalone tools.

The keynote address by Shailesh Kumar, Chief Data Scientist, Jio and Dean, Jio Institute, reflected on global debates around Education 4.0 and the need to fundamentally reimagine education systems. "It is time to re-imagine our Education System - what should it look like if it was born today - in the post connectivity and AI era? It is time to bring Personalised Education to every child on the planet," he said.

He also emphasised moving away from one-size-fits-all, "just-in-case" education models towards personalised and student-centric learning systems that focus on building mastery learning and thinking skills with contextualised pedagogy, enabled by AI at scale.

A central thread across the convening was the critical role of philanthropy in shaping the next phase of AI and EdTech in India. Insights were shared from the LiftEd EdTech Accelerator, a multi-year philanthropic initiative that has reached over 3 million children, particularly in underserved school and home-learning contexts.

Supported by founding partners Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Reliance Foundation and UBS Optimus Foundation, and led by Central Square Foundation and British Asian Trust, the initiative demonstrated how sustained support can help organisations responsibly integrate AI and build credible evidence of learning impact.

"Building AI and EdTech for impact is not just about the technology itself - it is about understanding the ground realities of implementing it in classrooms, homes, and communities. Learnings from the LiftEd EdTech Accelerator show how contextualised design and evidence-led approaches can support quality learning at scale," said Vanita Sharma, Advisor - Strategic Initiatives, Reliance Foundation.

The discussion highlighted that scaling effective AI-enabled learning solutions is a systems challenge. Participants stressed the need to design for India's diversity, including multilingual content, offline or low-bandwidth access, shared-device use, and alignment with state curricula.

"The next frontier for EdTech is not just innovation, but scaling proven, contextualised solutions through government systems and community adoption to drive learning outcomes at scale," said Gouri Gupta, Senior Project Director, EdTech, Central Square Foundation (CSF), setting the stage for recommendations to be carried forward to the national summit.

The event reinforced a shared commitment: AI and EdTech must serve as a force multiplier for equity, not efficiency alone. Participants also underscored that teachers and parents remain central to learning, with AI acting as a supportive enabler through personalisation, feedback, and data-driven insights.

The insights from this roundtable will contribute to shaping the education agenda at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
Impressive initiative. The emphasis on "equity, not efficiency alone" is vital. So many EdTech tools just digitize rote learning. We need AI that fosters critical thinking and adapts to a child's pace, not just another fancy app.
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Priya S
Good to see big foundations collaborating. But a word of caution - we must ensure these AI tools don't become another burden for teachers. The focus should be on empowering them, not replacing them. The teacher-student bond is irreplaceable.
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Michael C
The scale of the LiftEd initiative reaching 3 million children is remarkable. Scaling through government systems is the only way to achieve nationwide impact. Hope the 2026 summit translates these dialogues into actionable policy frameworks.
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Vikram M
Finally, a discussion that moves beyond just "digital classrooms". Reimagining the entire system for the AI era is what we need. But implementation is key. Will it reach the last child in a village with intermittent electricity? That's the real test.
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Kavya N
As a parent, I welcome AI that supports learning at home, especially with concepts I might not remember! But data privacy for children is non-negotiable. Hope these dialogues have strong representation from cybersecurity experts as well.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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