KITE’s AI course earns top marks

 “I became a music director with ChatGPT! First, I used it to write a poem in Malayalam about rain and then set it to a rap-style tune. I was thrilled at the output and my newfound ability.”

These aren't the words of some tech-savvy Kerala teen but Solomon David, a retired school teacher from Palakkad who now lives in Idukki. Having just completed a one-month online artificial intelligence (AI) course run by Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), Solomon is now eager to further his skills.

Solomon had dabbled in IT activities at his school but had lost touch after retiring in 2022. Now AI has opened a new world for him – and he's not alone. Hundreds of ordinary people have explored the magic world of AI since KITE unveiled its course meant for the general public.

AI for Everyone

The programme was launched after a social media posts and without the usual song and dance that other agencies excel at. But, since KITE launched its monthly AI Essentials course in March, participants from across society – an MLA, a former vice chancellor, retired professionals, farmers, students, and housewives – have embraced the opportunity to learn about AI and its use. Equally important, the course which costs 2,360 rupees also covers potential pitfalls that AI brings and its ethical use.

“Our aim is to give the general public awareness about AI and handhold them through the familiarisation period,” explains KITE CEO Anvar Sadath. His organisation has been training school teachers in AI over the past few years, and these teachers now serve as mentors in the new online course.

What makes KITE's initiative particularly attractive is its flexibility (with only one contact class per week), structure (one mentor for every 20 participants), and comprehensive materials (video and PDF content, assignments, and creative challenges). There are no qualification requirements and anyone interested in learning about AI can enroll.

Towards AI Literacy

Back in the 1990s, Kerala made history by becoming the first Indian state to reach 100 percent literacy. Three decades later, KITE may be sowing the seeds for another ambitious target: making Kerala a fully AI-literate state.

It’s not just retired people and students with time on their hands who took up the course. NK Akbar, an MLA from Guruvayur, also found time to complete it. “I have only a basic understanding of computers and social media,” he admits. “But I've always believed that public representatives should stay updated.”

What impressed him most about the course? “The simplicity. Everything was explained in Malayalam. You didn't need a tech background. Anyone with curiosity could follow it.”

KITE sources say the legislator was a keen participant and was among those who turned in their assignments quickly.

Akbar sees practical applications for AI in his political work. “Before the state Budget, we get hundreds of pages of financial documents. Now I can use AI to summarise it and pull out key points for my constituency. It will save me hours of tedious work and improve my presentation.”

He adds, “AI is no longer a luxury. Even virtual tours for locations, quick poster creation, summarising books – all this is now part of how leaders can work smarter.”

Bridging the Digital Divide

One of the remarkable aspects of the course was how it sidestepped typical age divides. Dr B Ekbal, a former Vice Chancellor of Kerala University, who enrolled with the first batch noted that this inclusiveness was key.

“There's a common belief that AI is for the young. But when older people learn to use it, they can speak the same language as their grandchildren,” he said.“Earlier, when I asked my grandson what he was doing on the iPad, he'd say, ‘You won't understand’. Now, I do. That's powerful. AI literacy can bring families closer.”

Though already familiar with AI during his time as a neurosurgeon, Ekbal, who now lives in Trivandrum,says this learning was very useful for him, especially learning how to give better prompts and use the AI tools more efficiently. “That was very helpful, as was the information about ethical issues like copyright.”

He observes that public debate in Kerala about AI has largely been confined to job losses, chatbots and even socialism, overlooking its broader applications. Many of the “experts” who are engaged in AI debate are often way off the mark, he says.

Easy Access

Curiosity about new technology motivated most participants, but many were unsure how to go about it. 

Beena TA, who works as a PRO at the Energy Management Centre in Trivandrum, was intrigued after seeing animated versions of Ravi Varma paintings on social media. She tried to animate her late father's photo with limited success.

Though eager to learn, she hesitated to sign up for courses that might prove too difficult. The KITE course appealed because its schedule accommodated working professionals. “The course was structured in such a way that even with work and home duties, I could manage it,” she explained.

During the training, Beena used AI to create logos and design content for brochures, and even experimented with re-tuning songs she had written. “It messed up a few Malayalam words,” she laughs, “but that's improving as Indian language models like Sarvam AI enter the scene.”

Vineeth, an Income Tax department employee in Kochi with a passion for writing, shared similar thoughts. “I wanted to explore how AI could help in writing. While I don't think it can replace human creativity, it can certainly speed things up. What used to take a week now takes a couple of days.”

The engineering graduate says he's still exploring AI's writing capabilities and hasn’t yet decided if it suits his needs.

Among those who grabbed an early seat was Ajith Kumar Palat, a retired teacher from Palakkad. He had previously experimented with AI tools like ChatGPT for designing school posters, but was still impressed with the course. “Even for someone like me, it was an eye-opener – the different tools they introduced and how they could be used,” he says.

“With three decades of teaching experience, I could see how AI could make a teacher's life easier – like setting question papers in multiple formats within minutes,” he added.

Farm to Frontline

Those who enrolled for the tests were not limited to those with regular hours of work. Sumesh Prabhakaran, a cardamom farmer in Idukki who returned from Sharjah to work his family land, faced wild price fluctuations in the spice market.

Even while undergoing the course, he made use of ChatGPT to develop a new way to tackle the market. “I was able to get a solid strategy for dealing with the cardamom market. That alone was worth it,” he says.

Sumesh compares the course to Kerala's literacy movement: “Once people learned to read and write, they started learning everything else. This is the same. Once you gain AI literacy, your ability to grow multiplies.”

He’s also quick to praise the mentors: “The quality of the trainers was top-notch and these teachers showed great dedication.”

Power to Create

Perhaps the most unexpected impact was how the course quickly unlocked creativity in older learners. Santhi VP, a retired headmistress in Palakkad, found herself swept up in the creative challenges. “There were competitions like poster making, and I ended up winning prizes at both the district and state levels,” she says proudly.

A music lover, Santhi discovered AI tools that allowed her to create karaoke tracks and compose tunes. “Earlier, I used to buy karaoke tracks for 200 or 300 rupees. Now, I can make my own. I can even convert my poems into songs,” she explains.

One of her favourite discoveries? The ability to turn travel descriptions into spoken audio, choosing from Malayalam voices with accents as specific as Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram.

The course taught participants to summarise books, create avatars, make karaoke videos, resize pictures into passport size photos, generate logos and brochures, animate images, and even produce 3D models – all using free or freemium tools.

Room for Improvement

While participants praised the course, they also offered suggestions for enhancement. Nearly everyone agreed that not every module was equally useful to them. “There were some tools I skipped,” says Solomon. “But many others opened up a whole new world.”

Ekbal suggests the course should stick to simpler tools, and says lessons about coding is unnecessary and might be too advanced for the general public.

Both Solomon and Ekbal expressed concerns about AI potentially dulling natural creativity. Others pointed out that most AI tools aren’t completely free – once usage crosses certain thresholds, payment is required. “But that's to be expected,” says Ekbal. “These are commercial tools. Still, programs like Grammarly offer robust free versions.”

Many participants recommended adding an offline component to help those overwhelmed by online learning. “Even one face-to-face session would have boosted confidence,”says Santhi.  Some others also felt bringing together the people who took the AI course would be valuable as it was a diverse gathering ranging from teens to septuagenarians.

Another common request was for a follow-up course. “This gives a foundation. But those who are interested should have a way to go forward,” says Ajith Kumar.

A Model for the Future

KITE’s initiative is a model that could possibly adopted across India, and perhaps globally. In a world where deepfakes, misinformation, and AI-generated fraud pose growing threats, teaching ordinary people to understand and use AI tools isn’t just empowering – it’s protective.

As Beena puts it, “Now when I see a photo or video online, I can often tell if it was made with AI. That awareness is critical.”

The course’s ultimate message, echoed in participant feedback, is that AI isn’t about mastering complex software, it’s about understanding a technology that’s already in our hands through Facebook and WhatsApp. Whether making social media posts or simply staying relevant in conversations with younger generations, AI literacy is no longer optional.

A machine to tap rubber

This should be of interest to rubber plantation owners, especially those in Kerala where the shortage of rubber tappers is a persistent problem. The Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences has developed AI-powered rubber-tapping robots. Created in collaboration with Beijing-based tech firm Automotive Walking Technology, these self-navigating robots were tested in rubber plantations in Hainan Province. The robots can navigate complex terrain and adapt to varying tree bark depths and cutting angles, reports Rubber World. It says the robots can harvest 100 to 120 trees per hour and operate continuously for over eight hours, as their batteries can be swapped quickly.

The race for humanoid dominance is heating up, and South Korea is stepping on the gas. It has just launched the K-Humanoid Alliance – a powerhouse coalition of over 40 top corporations, universities and research institutes. Backed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the initiative aims to put South Korea at the forefront of humanoid robotics by 2030, driven by cutting-edge AI, next-gen hardware and deep cross-sector collaboration, reports Asian Robotics Review. The alliance will also fund robotics startups and roll out education programmes to build a strong talent pipeline.

It's their own baby

When their daughter was born, Bangalore Indian Institute of Science graduates Radhika and Bharath Patil found getting sleep a struggle, like many young parents. But the engineering duo came up with an answer which later went on to become Cradlewise, an AI-assisted smart cradle. Now OpenAI CEO Sam Altman thinks that is the best in the market. His endorsement was a big validation for a product that, as Radhika recalls, began in 2016 with “an old cotton sari belonging to my mother, some springs, a few linkages and a metal rod!” The cradle now uses AI to sense when a baby is about to wake and gently soothes it back to sleep. The couple moved to the US in 2021 and launched the product there at 1,999 US dollars. It costs around 1.5 lakh rupees in India, and reports suggest there’s growing interest in the premium segment here. Just goes to show – problem-solving often starts at home.

Big B moves into gaming world

One of the eye-catching announcements from the WAVE Summit, which concluded in Mumbai this weekend, was the reveal of a homegrown AAA role-playing game – The Age of Bharath. Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, Shiva Trilogy author Amish Tripathi as storyteller-in-chief, and gaming veteran Nouredine Abboud are joining forces for the project. The game is set in an epoch where the hero is trying to save his forest from rakshas, mythical beasts], and dark sorcerers, reports Mashable India. The trailer is out, and while it’s intriguing, it’s too early to say whether this could be India’s answer to Black Myth: Wukong, the Chinese blockbuster that caused a stir last year.

A new fashion dinosaur

This is a bag of surprises, all right. Global brand builders VML and a group of nature-loving scientists are stitching together a plan to grow leather using Tyrannosaurus rex DNA – and turn it into luxury handbags. They claim the first bag made from lab-grown T rex leather could be ready by the end of this year. The idea is to spare crocodiles and other animals currently farmed for their skins. But some scientists have already shot down this Jurassic Prada concept, noting that the oldest preserved DNA ever found – in Greenland – is about 2 million years old, while the T rex went extinct 66 million years ago. Still, who needs facts when you’ve got a killer fashion story, right?