IIT Kharagpur Unveils AI Tutor, Free GATE-JAM Preparation Platform for Students Across India

IIT Kharagpur has introduced two digital learning initiatives to expand access to quality education and competitive exam preparation for students across India. The institute has launched an AI-powered academic assistant, the NDLI-FERMI AI Tutor, and a free online preparation platform for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and the Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM). Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar inaugurated both initiatives at the IIT Kharagpur Research Park in Rajarhat, Kolkata, on Monday as part of the institution’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, according to an official statement.

The NDLI-FERMI AI Tutor has been developed in partnership with Fermi AI and integrated into the National Digital Library of India (NDLI), an educational initiative sponsored by the Union Ministry of Education. The AI-based assistant is designed to offer registered users personalised academic guidance without charging any fee. Rather than functioning like conventional AI tools that typically deliver direct answers to users’ questions, the tutor adopts a guided learning approach that encourages learners to work through problems independently. It supports the learning process by asking relevant questions, providing hints, and offering contextual explanations that help students understand the reasoning behind a solution instead of simply memorising the final answer.

One of the key features of the NDLI-FERMI AI Tutor is its ‘Scan & Ask’ facility, which enables students to seek assistance with academic questions in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology. Through this feature, learners can obtain guidance on problems, identify errors in their approach, and understand how to improve their methods of arriving at solutions.

According to the statement, the National Digital Library of India currently serves more than one crore learners and provides access to over 130 million learning resources. The addition of the AI-powered tutor is expected to strengthen the platform’s role in supporting students by complementing its extensive collection of educational materials with personalised academic assistance.

The institute’s second initiative is a free online preparatory platform for GATE and JAM aspirants, designed to broaden access to structured preparation for two important national-level examinations. GATE is used for admission to postgraduate engineering and related programmes, as well as for other academic and professional opportunities, while JAM facilitates admission to postgraduate science programmes at participating institutions. By reducing students’ dependence on costly commercial coaching programmes, the new platform aims to make examination preparation more affordable and accessible to aspirants across different regions.

The platform is particularly intended to benefit students from rural communities and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, who may face difficulties accessing established coaching centres or specialised academic guidance.

Addressing the launch programme, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar highlighted the importance of ensuring that artificial intelligence is used responsibly in the education sector. He emphasised that educational technology should strengthen students’ capacity for independent thought and understanding rather than encourage them to depend solely on instantly generated answers. The minister said the initiatives were aligned with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and could help extend personalised academic assistance to learners regardless of their geographical location or socio-economic circumstances.

IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty also highlighted the institute’s responsibility to contribute to society beyond its campus. He stressed that access to educational resources should not determine a student’s ability to benefit from academic excellence. According to him, the AI tutor should help learners think critically, understand concepts and develop the ability to learn independently, rather than replace the process of reasoning with ready-made answers. He added that the two initiatives were intended to translate the institute’s academic strengths and educational resources into wider public benefit.