Last week, I travelled to Bengaluru to attend Intel’s PadhAI Ka Future event, where the company brought together EdTech partners, students, and innovators to showcase how AI-powered PCs can change the way classrooms work. India has one of the largest student populations in the world, yet most schools still function in very traditional ways. Even though almost every young person today has access to a smartphone, only a small fraction actually owns a PC. That gap becomes important when we think about the role AI will play in shaping future jobs and skills.
SurveyAt the event, I got to see firsthand how Intel and its partners are trying to address this challenge with solutions that include personalised learning paths, AI-powered grading, language-based support, and even gamified lessons to keep students engaged. To understand this shift better, in an exclusive conversation with Digit, Santhosh Viswanathan, Vice President and Managing Director, Intel, India region, shared his perspective on how AI-powered PCs can help reimagine classrooms in India. Here are some key excerpts from the discussion.
What’s your first reaction when you see the way schools are adopting AI today compared to, say, five years ago? Also, what was the thought behind the phrase, ‘PadhAI Ka Future’?
‘There’s progress, but not enough,’ Santhosh said. ‘It’s been incremental. Most people still look at AI only for programming skills, whereas I believe AI goes beyond programming; it’s for every subject, every form of education.’
On the phrase ‘PadhAI Ka Future’, he explained, ‘Education is the biggest priority for all of us as parents. The idea was to communicate that if our kids’ learning is so important, we must start thinking about how education should look today for the future they are going after. That’s how the phrase came about.’
What does active creation practically look like in an Indian classroom today?
‘In a typical classroom, information is shared in a fixed time window. Some kids understand it quickly, others don’t, but the class moves on regardless,’ he said. ‘Traditionally, the augmentation model has been tuition centres or coaching. But with infrastructure and compute, that model can change. The teacher still plays a central role, but the learning engine and the questions a child can explore at home look very different.’
He added, ‘Education should also move from information to problem-solving. We need to help children use information to solve problems, rather than just memorising facts. That’s the key switch.’
Parents often see laptops as distractions. How do we change that perception?
‘I had the same mindset once,’ Santhosh recalled. ‘When my son was in school abroad, calculators were allowed in exams. I was shocked. But the teacher explained that the point wasn’t calculation, it was problem-solving, with the calculator as an aid. PCs should be seen in the same way.’
He continued, ‘Because kids love gaming, many parents automatically associate a PC with games and distraction. But like any tool, it depends on how you guide children. Mindsets will need to shift. Access to entertainment can be managed with fixed time slots, but the PC itself should be seen as a tool for success in an AI world.’
How are Intel’s AI PCs making personalised learning a reality?
‘If a device engages with me, knows where I’m making mistakes, and supports me in that journey, that’s personal learning,’ he said. ‘And it’s not just for students, even in corporate settings, AI can help you code better, write better, or even draft articles more effectively.’
‘The beauty of AI PCs is that many models can run locally. That means you don’t always need large data centres. It works in places without internet, supports privacy for sensitive data, and makes learning accessible in a personal and secure way.’
How can AI help teachers become more efficient and impactful?
‘As much as AI helps students, it will also help teachers,’ Santhosh stressed. ‘It won’t replace them, but it will evolve their role, from information transfer to mentoring and inspiration.’
He cited evaluation as an example. ‘Today, teachers spend evenings marking 30 notebooks and writing questions. With AI, that load can reduce, freeing them to focus on what matters: coaching students, identifying struggles, and inspiring them.’
He also mentioned global use cases. ‘One professor built a teacher’s assistant using ChatGPT. Students asked routine questions to the assistant, while the professor spent his time on deeper engagement. It augmented his presence, not replaced it.’
How is Intel working to ensure affordable and sustainable PC access for students in underserved areas?
‘This is not just a cost issue, it’s an intent and mindset issue,’ Santhosh said firmly. ‘PC penetration is still under 50% in India, whereas TV penetration is 80-90% and smartphones 95%. Why not PCs? The danger is to focus only on cost, like making a Rs 5,000 PC that’s too weak to serve real needs. Instead, we must focus on the value, how compute can change the way a child learns. That’s why we’re working with EdTech partners to reimagine devices that are meaningful and sustainable.’
What role do partnerships with government and private institutions play in scaling these solutions?
‘Huge,’ Santhosh emphasised. ‘This must be seen as a national priority. We can’t say it’s only the government’s job or only tech companies’ job. Everyone must come together.’
He suggested measures like tax incentives. ‘Why not treat PCs for students the way we treat GST online systems? If we incentivise education devices, it will not only help children but also boost local manufacturing. Connecting these agendas is how we’ll move forward as a country.’
What would an AI-powered classroom in India look like five years from now?
‘The ideal is one-to-one, every child with access to a computer,’ he said. ‘But even moving to one device for every 10 or 20 students would be a great start. It would let them experiment, access teachers they normally couldn’t, and truly augment their learning.’
He added, ‘Just as we have Right to Education, we should also start thinking of Right to Compute. Because education without compute will look very different in the world we’re heading into.’
Looking back at your own school or college days, what piece of technology made the biggest difference to your learning?
‘I don’t know whether we had any tech,’ he laughed. ‘The most advanced thing we had was a scientific calculator in engineering. In school, we had overhead projectors with plastic slides where teachers would write and project onto the wall. That was considered advanced at the time.’
All said, the examples shown at PadhAI Ka Future gave a glimpse of what classrooms could look like in the coming years, spaces where technology doesn’t replace teachers, but helps them focus on what really matters: guiding, mentoring, and inspiring young minds. If India can bridge the access gap, AI PCs might well become the calculators of tomorrow’s classrooms.
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Aman Rashid
Aman Rashid is the Senior Assistant Editor at Digit, where he leads the website along with the brand’s YouTube, social media, and overall video operations. He has been covering consumer technology for several years, with experience across news, reviews, and features. Outside of work, Aman is a sneaker enthusiast and an avid follower of WWE, Dragon Ball, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. View Full Profile
