Delhi AI Grind: Six months to turn classrooms into innovation labs
Delhi has set a clear intent: lead in Artificial Intelligence and show how technology can enable every student, school, and community. The new city-wide program, Delhi AI Grind, will run for six months and connect schools, communities, and industries to build solutions for real problems across the city. The goal is simple and ambitious-make AI useful where it counts: in classrooms, labs, and public services.
The initiative will reach over five lakh learners (about 500,000) across more than 1,000 schools, colleges, ITIs, and universities. It signals a practical shift from awareness sessions to hands-on project work with clear milestones and measurable outcomes.
What's planned in the next four months
- Train 5,000 teachers as certified AI mentors.
- Develop 1,000 student-led prototypes targeting civic and industry use cases.
- Select 50 AI youth ambassadors to champion adoption and peer learning.
- Publish a national innovation compendium featuring ideas created by Delhi's youth.
According to the Education Minister, institutions will operate as active innovation labs. Students will identify civic and industry challenges, then work with government bodies and companies to build practical solutions.
Why this matters for education and government leaders
- Builds a talent pipeline for data, automation, and AI-assisted roles across public and private sectors.
- Turns student work into prototypes that can be piloted with departments-solid ROI on classroom time.
- Gives teachers a clear pathway to upskill and mentor students with credibility.
- Creates a shared agenda between schools, industry partners, and civic agencies.
- Encourages responsible use of AI tools across learning and service delivery.
What to do now (for principals, deans, and departments)
- Nominate faculty for the mentor track and set a target mentor-to-student ratio (for example, 1:20).
- Stand up a problem registry with local departments (public works, transport, health, environment) for student teams to pick from.
- Publish a simple AI use policy for staff and students. For reference, see UNESCO's guidance on AI in education (UNESCO guidance).
- Check infrastructure basics: device access, internet reliability, and approved tools. Favor privacy-first options and log usage for audits.
- Define evaluation rubrics for prototypes (problem clarity, feasibility, data practices, usability, cost to pilot).
Measurement that keeps everyone honest
- Teachers certified as AI mentors and active mentorship hours delivered.
- Prototypes progressed to pilots with departments and industry partners.
- Time from idea to pilot approval and pilot-to-deployment.
- Student participation across schools, including underrepresented communities.
- Clear documentation on datasets used, privacy steps taken, and licensing/IP for student work.
Voices from the launch
Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station, left students with a direct call to action. "You are the future… work towards realising the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047." Learn more about that national vision here: Viksit Bharat 2047.
For teams seeking structured upskilling
If your institution plans to build mentor capacity or map AI skills to specific roles, explore role-based learning paths here: Complete AI Training - Courses by Job. Use them to supplement official training and speed up onboarding for mentor cohorts.
Your membership also unlocks:
