Ashish Sood: AI supports teachers

Ashish Sood, Delhi’s education minister, said on May 17 that artificial intelligence can help teachers become more effective but cannot replace them in classrooms. Sood made the remark in an interview with Times Now Digital as he discussed AI in education, digital governance and school reform in the Indian capital. The comment adds to a line he has used in earlier public appearances, where he cast AI as a tool for reducing repetitive work while keeping teachers at the center of instruction. Delhi’s government has also tied that message to a broader push for AI-enabled schools and digital infrastructure. ### What exactly did Ashish Sood say this week? Ashish Sood told Times Now Digital that “AI can complement the wisdom of a teacher, but AI will never replace a teacher,” according to the outlet’s May 17 report. He said Delhi is moving toward becoming a digital city, but added that technology has limits and should not displace human judgment in education. The Times Now interview was published as Sood discussed several portfolios he holds in the Delhi government, including education, home, power and urban development. In that conversation, AI in education was presented as one part of a wider modernization agenda. (timesnownews.com) ### Has Sood said this before in public forums? On August 1, 2025, Sood used nearly the same formulation at an international conference on AI in education in New Delhi. At that event, organized by PHDCCI in collaboration with the OECD and the Association of Indian Universities, he said AI should “empower teachers, not replace them” and should free them from repetitive tasks so they can “inspire, mentor and guide students.” (timesnownews.com) The conference framing was more specific than the May 2026 interview. Sood linked AI use to teacher productivity and mentorship, arguing that human roles in motivation and guidance remain distinct even as software takes on routine work. (phdcci.in) ### How does this fit into Delhi’s school plans? Delhi’s government has already attached AI language to school expansion plans. On August 28, 2025, Sood said the city was setting up 75 CM Shree schools equipped with AI labs and other modern technology, according to reports citing his remarks at a teachers’ felicitation ceremony. (phdcci.in) Hindustan Times also reported this month that Sood described AI-driven learning as a key part of the Delhi government’s education strategy, alongside measures on school air quality, fee reform and student mental health. That places his latest comment inside a policy discussion that is broader than classroom software alone. (thepatriot.in) ### Where did the latest interview place AI in the wider policy debate? Times Now’s May 16 and May 17 coverage said Sood was asked whether Delhi was becoming a digital city and how AI would be used in education. His answer paired support for technology adoption with a limit: AI can assist, but the teacher remains central. (hindustantimes.com) The Economic Times’ education vertical, in a May 12 video interview, also described current debate in Delhi around AI-driven classrooms, teacher recruitment, higher education funding and employability. That interview summary did not provide the same quote, but it showed that AI use in schools is now part of a larger policy conversation in the capital. (timesnownews.com) ### What comes next in Delhi’s AI-in-education rollout? Delhi’s next concrete benchmark remains the build-out of the 75 AI-enabled CM Shree schools that Sood said the government is setting up. Public discussion is also continuing through media interviews and conference appearances involving Sood and education-sector groups such as PHDCCI, the OECD and the Association of Indian Universities. (thepatriot.in) (education.economictimes.indiatimes.com)