Innovation has found a young champion in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, where 17-year-old Class 12 student Aditya Kumar has built an AI-powered teaching assistant named Sophie. Designed to answer questions in Hindi, solve math problems, and explain scientific concepts, Sophie could serve as a virtual teacher, offering a glimpse of how technology might help bridge the gap in rural classrooms.
At Shiv Charan Inter College in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, a Class 12 student did not treat a teacher’s absence as a break. Instead, 17-year-old Aditya Kumar activated his AI-powered robot, Sophie, which he had created to respond to questions in Hindi and, according to him, could substitute for a teacher for an entire day.
A video released by news agency ANI features Sophie, who describes herself as an 'AI teacher robot' created by Aditya. She states that she works at Shivcharan Inter College in Bulandshahr. When questioned about her teaching abilities, the robot affirms that she is capable of teaching effectively.
In a demo, Aditya asks Sophie questions ranging from general knowledge like India’s first president and prime minister, to simple math problems, and the AI responds in Hindi. He emphasizes that Sophie is meant as a backup, capable of acting as a substitute teacher to explain basic concepts and answer straightforward questions when a teacher is absent.
Aditya aims to add writing features and hopes such tools help rural schools with teacher shortages. He calls for district research labs to support young innovators like himself.
While Sophie cannot yet write or move, Aditya plans to add writing capabilities in the next version. Beyond the robot, he highlights a bigger need: every district should have labs where students can conduct research and develop projects like his.
The initiative demonstrates how affordable, student-driven AI projects are transitioning from science fairs into actual classrooms, particularly in Hindi-speaking areas where most popular AI tools remain primarily English-focused.
According to Aditya, Sophie operates on a large language model chipset akin to those employed by major robotics firms. At present, the robot serves solely as a voice-based assistant capable of addressing simple questions and providing factual information across various subjects.
