Delhi launches AI innovation drive for 500,000 learners: Delhi AI Grind
Delhi has kicked off Delhi AI Grind, a city-wide movement to build practical AI skills in young people and turn classrooms into working innovation labs. The launch at Central Park, Connaught Place brought together policymakers, educators, industry leaders, and students.
The programme targets over 500,000 learners across 1,000+ institutions - schools, colleges, ITIs, and universities. It is open to participants aged 10-25, with school, college, and open categories.
Why this matters for educators
This initiative shifts learning from theory-heavy lectures to hands-on problem solving. Students will apply AI to real civic and industry challenges, with teachers supported as mentors and institutions framed as living labs.
For administrators, it's a structured way to bring AI literacy, ethics, and prototyping into the timetable without guesswork - and to connect student work with government and industry partners.
What participants will work on
Teams will use design thinking, prototyping, and sector-based challenges to build practical solutions for the city. Focus areas include:
- Transport
- Health
- Food systems
- Tourism
- Governance
- Energy
- Digital education
- Climate and environment
- Water and waste management
- Public services
Four-month targets
- Train 5,000 teachers as certified AI mentors
- Develop 1,000 student-led prototypes
- Select 50 AI Youth Ambassadors
- Publish a National Innovation Compendium featuring student ideas
How the programme runs
Delhi AI Grind uses a 10-station innovation model and will operate as an annual, continuous movement. Stages include awareness, onboarding, district rounds, city showcase, pilot deployment, and youth leadership engagement - with a clear path from idea to implementation.
Leadership statements
Chief minister Rekha Gupta said Delhi must show how technology can empower every child, classroom, and community. "The initiative will transform traditional classrooms into innovation-oriented labs, where students will develop AI-based projects to solve Delhi's real-life problems."
Education minister Ashish Sood noted the programme is in step with India's AI push and focuses on structured innovation, problem-solving, and responsible technology use. For context on the national AI agenda, see IndiaAI.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Air Force officer and astronaut, said: "I saw children coming up with such unique solutions for the problems we face as a society using AI. I think it is very exciting." He added that stronger emphasis on technology will help the country progress faster and support the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. Learn more about the vision here: Viksit Bharat 2047.
Action steps for school and college leaders
- Nominate a faculty lead and a small coordinator team; register early and plan mentor schedules around the four-month timeline.
- Pick 2-3 sectors that match local needs; source problem statements with civic bodies, neighborhood groups, and industry partners.
- Set weekly "build hours" for teams; run short sprints for research, prototyping, testing, and reflection.
- Publish simple data and ethics guidelines; require documentation of datasets, prompts, and model choices.
- Host mid-point demos and a campus showcase; prepare promising teams for pilot deployment with partner support.
- Create a teacher community of practice; share lesson plans, rubrics, and student artifacts across departments.
Programme scope and participation
The initiative will engage schools, colleges, ITIs, and universities city-wide. It welcomes ages 10-25 and includes school, college, and open categories so institutions can field mixed-skill teams and involve alumni or community learners where appropriate.
Helpful resources for staff upskilling
If your faculty needs quick, practical AI training to support student teams, explore curated paths by role and skill at Complete AI Training - Courses by Job. For classroom-friendly AI usage, see AI Certification for ChatGPT.
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