Around 26% of government school teachers use Artificial Intelligence (AI) regularly, and 72% have a positive view of AI in education, according to AI Readiness of India’s Government School Teachers, a report released by JanAI, an initiative of the Head Held High Foundation (HHHF).

The report, released on Tuesday, comes ahead of the introduction of an AI and Computational Thinking curriculum for Classes IX to XII in the 2026-27 academic year.

The national survey, conducted across 797 government schools, found that teachers in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Maharashtra are adopting AI despite infrastructure gaps.

“Teachers are already accessing AI through personal phones, including in schools without computer labs. AI is primarily being used as a teaching aid. The top uses are simplifying difficult concepts, generating examples and activities, and preparing worksheets and assessments,” the report read.

Over dependence fears

However, teachers see both opportunities and risks in the use of AI. The report found that 86% of teachers believe AI makes them more effective in their work but also increases students’ dependence on the technology. At the same time, teachers did not express concern about AI replacing them in classrooms, with most saying they do not see it as a threat to their profession.

This data was collected from August 6 to 14, and JanAI claimed that it is the first study to examine government-school teachers as a distinct population rather than as part of a blended national average that also includes private schools.

Rural AI teacher champions

The finding at the centre of the report is that resistance is not the barrier standing between India’s teachers and this transition, but readiness is. Therefore, JanAI plans to build a 50,000-strong community of rural AI teacher champions. Over the next 12–18 months, it intends to identify, train, and organise rural government-school teachers as local AI change agents.

Madan Padaki, founder of JanAI and co-founder of HHHF, said, “Our government-school teachers are not waiting to be persuaded. They have already picked up the tool. What they are waiting for is a system willing to stand beside them while they learn to use it responsibly. Readiness is not a deficiency to be corrected from above; it is a strength already present in the field, seeking structure.”