Ed-tech cos embrace AI bots to solve learners' doubts fast, and at scale

As AI-driven tutoring bots emerge as a key differentiator, ed-tech companies say that they will continue to invest in the tech to upgrade it and make it more accurate

There comes a time in the life of every student when notes, friends, and Google, all fail you in your quest for that perfect answer to an academic question. What then is one supposed to do? The answer, not surprisingly, is artificial intelligence (AI). With its ability to scour the vast reaches of the internet, it is able to collect, reason, and present the answer, usually fairly accurately.

 

Now, edtech firms in India, which are home to hordes of students vying for that elusive medical or engineering seat, are taking the use of AI a notch higher by developing their own bots - called AI 'tutors' - to help students find their way.

 

Take Allie, for example. Launched in December last year by Allen Online, a popular private coaching institute, Allie scored a remarkable 678 marks in the 2025 national eligibility-cum-entrance test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical education. This score could allow Allie to get a seat at AIIMS Delhi, India's most prestigious medical college-cum-hospital. In just the past month, it has solved nearly 600,000 queries from over 90,000 students.

 

Similarly, the AI-based problem solver of coaching institute Aakash, internally referred to as 'Doubt on chat,' solves an average of 500,000 queries a month, with peaks recorded during internal examinations and weekends, the company's chief technology officer (CTO) Pradeep Kumar Singh told Business Standard.

 

Ed-tech companies, whether offering professional certification courses, competitive examination preparation, or study-abroad guidance, are increasingly turning to AI to tackle one of the persistent challenges in online learning: real-time doubt resolution.

 

The so-called AI tutors are trained on vast academic datasets and past student queries, and are designed to replicate the role of a human tutor — providing explanations, clearing doubts, and even offering personalised learning tips.

 

“We realised that apart from in-class learning, a lot happens outside of class where students practise, have doubts, and get stuck. In this extensive journey, students face several challenges but teachers can't be a support for every student. So, we thought our digital platform could be a companion for students. With that philosophy, we created 'Allie'," Ankit Khurana, chief product officer for Allen, had told Business Standard earlier.

 

Other companies that have forayed into using AI-powered bots for doubt-solving are online skilling firm Simplilearn and study abroad platform Gradding.

 

The AI-powered career coach of Simplilearn, called SimpliMentor, was launched a mere 10 days ago but has already handled over 1,000 user conversations. On the other hand, in May this year, Gradding's chatbot 'Naira,' answered significant queries around studying in the UK and USA, particularly eligibility criteria and proficiency tests like International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Pearson Test of English (PTE).

 

Interestingly, for upGrad's 'mAI-ask' bot, roughly 60 per cent of these queries were academic, covering coursework, concepts, and assignments, while the remaining 40 per cent addressed non-academic concerns such as time management, learning plan, and more.

 

The deployment of AI bots has resulted in quick resolution of learners' queries, in addition to increasing engagement and learning hours on the platforms. According to Maneesh Dhooper, co-founder of the K-12 skilling platform PlanetSpark, the average engagement rate (the number of learning hours spent on the platform) with 'Sparkle AI' increased from 5.5 hours per month to 7.8 hours per month.

 

With 80-90 per cent of doubts being clarified by bots, institutes say that it could be 100 per cent, but for the fact that in some cases a nuanced explanation is beneficial for students.

 

"About 10 per cent are escalated to human mentors or academic teams, not because the bot is falling short, but because some queries require nuanced guidance, personalised feedback, or decision-making that’s better handled by experienced professionals," said Ankur Dhawan, chief technology officer of UpGrad.

 

As platforms compete to enhance engagement and learning outcomes, AI-driven doubt-solving is emerging as a key differentiator in the crowded ed-tech landscape. Ed-tech companies said that they will continue to invest in tech to upgrade it and make it more accurate. So far, Aakash said it spent up to 30 per cent of its AI budget on building the bot, while PlanetSpark made around 65 per cent of the total product investment in Sparkle AI.

 

As for the plans to strengthen these AI tutors, Simplilearn said, "We’re actively expanding SimpliMentor’s knowledge base with new certifications, role requirements, and salary benchmarks." In the coming months, it also plans to roll out features like mock interviews, job application coaching, and multilingual support.

 

"We have been investing in AI for three years, fully aware that these innovations require substantial upfront investment to reach more learners and have a greater impact," a Great Learning spokesperson said, adding that these investments will address the challenges of shortage of skilled teachers.

 

Upskilling platform Great Learning’s GLAIDE has resolved over 200,000 queries. "With learners from over 170 countries, this real-time support is a game-changer, especially considering that industry mentors typically take up to 24 hours to respond," the company said.