Artificial Intelligence is becoming part of everyday life. Children are already seeing AI in search engines, educational platforms, smartphones, creative tools, translation apps, and other digital services. As AI becomes more common, an important question is emerging for parents and educators: Are schools preparing students not just to use AI, but to understand it and use it responsibly? This was one of the important questions discussed at Edu India Expo 2026 in Bengaluru, where education leaders came together to discuss the changing role of Artificial Intelligence in school education.

Shazia Ahmed, Director of Aryan Presidency School, Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, participated in a roundtable discussion titled “How Schools are Preparing Students for AI Opportunities & Challenges.” The discussion brought together school leaders and education professionals to consider the skills, mindset, digital readiness, and ethical understanding students will need in an AI-enabled future.

The event took place on 9–10 September 2026 at EBISU Convention Center, Bengaluru, as part of the India K-12 Expo/Edu India Expo 2026 programme presented by LiveLife Education, with Eldrok India associated with the event and its education leadership discussions. But what does all this mean for parents? More importantly, what should AI-ready education actually look like in a school?

AI in Education Is More Than Using AI Tools

When people hear “AI in education,” they often think about ChatGPT, AI-powered apps, automated assessments, or smart classrooms. These tools are certainly part of the conversation, but AI-friendly education is much broader. A student who knows how to open an AI tool is not necessarily AI-ready.

An AI-ready student should gradually learn how to:

• Ask meaningful questions
• Check whether information is accurate
• Think critically about AI-generated answers
• Understand that AI can make mistakes
• Use technology responsibly
• Protect personal information
• Respect intellectual property
• Solve problems independently
• Communicate ideas clearly
• Work creatively with technology
• Understand the difference between assistance and simply copying

This is why AI education should not be treated as another technology subject alone. It should become part of a wider approach to critical thinking, creativity, digital literacy, problem-solving, and responsible technology use.

What Does “AI-Friendly Education” Mean?

For parents searching for “AI-friendly education”, the term can sound complicated. In simple words, an AI-friendly school is one that helps students understand and use technology while keeping learning human-centred. It does not mean giving every child unrestricted access to AI tools.

Instead, it means preparing students to understand:

What AI can do.

What AI cannot do.

When AI can help.

When students need to think for themselves.

How AI should be used responsibly.

This distinction is important. AI can help a student explore a topic, generate ideas, practise a skill, or receive explanations. But students still need to question information, understand concepts, form their own opinions, and develop their own abilities. The discussion at Edu India Expo 2026 reflected this broader approach to preparing students for an AI-enabled future.

Why AI Literacy Is Becoming Important for Students

AI literacy does not mean every school student needs to become a programmer or AI engineer. Instead, students need an age-appropriate understanding of how AI affects the world around them.

For younger children, this may begin with simple ideas:

• What is technology?
• How do computers follow instructions?
• What is a pattern?
• How does a machine recognise information?
• Why should we not believe everything we see online?

As students grow older, these discussions can become more detailed.

They can explore topics such as:

• Algorithms
• Data
• Automation
• Generative AI
• AI-generated content
• Digital privacy
• Online safety
• Bias in technology
• Responsible AI use
• AI and future careers

The goal is not to make every student an AI specialist. The goal is to help students become thoughtful users and creators of technology.

The Human Skills AI Cannot Replace

One of the most important lessons for schools is that preparing students for AI does not mean focusing only on technology. In fact, human skills become even more important. Students need opportunities to develop:

Critical Thinking

Can a student question an answer instead of accepting it immediately?

Creativity

Can the student develop an original idea instead of simply asking an AI tool to create everything?

Communication

Can the student explain their thinking clearly?

Collaboration

Can the student work effectively with classmates?

Problem-Solving

Can the student approach an unfamiliar problem and try different solutions?

Curiosity

Does the child want to understand how and why something works? These skills form the foundation for meaningful learning, whether AI is involved or not.

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AI Should Support Teachers, Not Replace Them

Another important question is the role of teachers. Technology can help teachers prepare resources, organise information, create practice activities, and explore different ways of explaining a concept. But teaching is much more than delivering information. A teacher understands the classroom, notices when a child is struggling, encourages participation, manages relationships, and provides human guidance. This human role remains important. Interestingly, this is not a completely new concern for Aryan Presidency School’s leadership.

Shazia Ahmed has previously spoken publicly about technology in education, including the view that technology can support teachers and improve students’ learning experiences. In an earlier education leadership discussion, she also described efforts around digital resources, smart classes, teacher training, and peer-to-peer mentorship. The emerging AI conversation builds on that broader question: How can technology help teachers teach better without taking away the human side of education?

Preparing Students for AI Opportunities

AI is creating new possibilities across education and work. For students, future opportunities may involve areas such as:

• Artificial intelligence
• Data science
• Robotics
• Software development
• Design
• Digital media
• Healthcare technology
• Scientific research
• Business and entrepreneurship
• Education technology

But schools do not need to predict exactly which careers today’s children will enter. Instead, schools can build adaptable learners. A student who knows how to research, ask questions, analyse information, communicate clearly, collaborate, and learn independently will be better prepared to adapt as technology changes. This is why future-ready education should focus on transferable skills rather than chasing every new technology trend.

Preparing Students for the Challenges of AI

AI also brings challenges.

Children need to understand that technology can produce information that is incomplete, inaccurate, misleading, or unsuitable.

This creates an important educational responsibility.

Students should gradually learn to ask:

Where did this information come from?

Can I verify it?

Does another reliable source say the same thing?

Is this AI-generated?

Am I using this information appropriately?

These questions are part of digital literacy.

Students also need guidance about privacy. They should understand why they should not casually share personal information, photographs, passwords, private school information, or other sensitive details with online services.

For parents, this is an important part of responsible AI education for children.

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AI and Academic Integrity

One of the biggest questions parents have is:

“Should students be allowed to use AI for homework?”

There is no single answer for every age or assignment.

The important question is how the tool is being used.

There is a significant difference between:

“AI, write my entire homework.”

and:

“Explain this concept in a simpler way so I can understand it.”

The first can remove the learning process.

The second can potentially support learning when used appropriately and under clear guidance.

Schools therefore need clear expectations around AI-assisted work.

Students should understand when AI assistance is permitted, when independent work is expected, and why submitting AI-generated work as their own can undermine the purpose of an assignment.

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What Can an AI-Ready Classroom Look Like?

An AI-ready classroom does not necessarily need expensive technology everywhere.

It can begin with good teaching practices.

For example, a teacher could ask students to:

1. Research a topic independently.
2. Use an AI tool to generate another explanation.
3. Compare the two.
4. Identify differences.
5. Check questionable information.
6. Discuss which information is reliable.
7. Present their own conclusion.

This type of activity teaches something much more valuable than simply “using AI.”

It teaches students how to think about AI.

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The Role of Parents in AI Education

Schools cannot handle digital learning alone.

Parents also have an important role.

Instead of asking only:

“Did you use AI?”

parents can ask:

• “What did you use it for?”
• “How did you check the answer?”
• “What did you learn yourself?”
• “Did the AI give you anything that seemed incorrect?”
• “Could you explain the topic without the tool?”

These questions encourage children to become more responsible technology users.

Parents can also establish simple rules around screen use, online privacy, and age-appropriate AI tools.

The goal should not be to make children afraid of AI.

It should be to help them use technology thoughtfully.

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What This Means for Schools in Bengaluru

Bengaluru is already a major technology and innovation hub, so conversations about AI and education have particular relevance for schools in the city.

The Edu India Expo 2026 discussions brought school leaders and education professionals together in Bengaluru to explore how education can respond to technological change. Eldrok’s published material around the event highlighted areas including AI-powered classrooms, personalised learning, academic transformation, ethical AI adoption, digital leadership, teacher empowerment, and the skills students need for an AI-driven future.

For schools in areas such as Nagarbhavi and Bangalore West, the conversation is not simply about adding another technology programme.

It is about asking a more useful question:

How can technology strengthen the learning experience while keeping curiosity, teachers, values, and human interaction at the centre?

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Aryan Presidency School and the Conversation Around Future-Ready Education

For Aryan Presidency School, the participation of Director Shazia Ahmed in the roundtable provided an opportunity to engage with other education leaders around an issue that is increasingly relevant to schools and families.

The certificate presented to Shazia Ahmed at the event records her contribution to the roundtable “How Schools are Preparing Students for AI Opportunities & Challenges.”

The recognition was part of the India Top School Awards 2026 – IKA-2026 Bengaluru programme at Edu India Expo 2026.

For Aryan Presidency School, this event connects with a wider focus on how schools can respond to changing technology while continuing to focus on student learning and development.

The school’s participation can also be viewed in the context of Shazia Ahmed’s earlier engagement with education technology discussions, including conversations about digital resources, smart classes, teacher training, and technology-supported learning.

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The Bigger Question: What Should Children Learn in the AI Era?

Perhaps the biggest lesson from discussions around AI in education is that schools should not try to compete with technology.

They should teach children how to work with it wisely.

A child who can use AI but cannot think critically may struggle.

A child who can memorise information but cannot evaluate it may also struggle.

But a student who can ask good questions, check information, think independently, communicate clearly, solve problems, work with others, and use technology responsibly has a stronger foundation for a changing world.

That is what future-ready education should aim to develop.

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Final Thoughts

AI will continue to change education.

The question for schools is no longer simply whether students will encounter Artificial Intelligence. They already will.

The more important question is:

Will students know how to use it responsibly, critically, creatively, and meaningfully?

The discussions at Edu India Expo 2026 in Bengaluru brought this question into focus, with education leaders discussing how schools can prepare students for both the opportunities and challenges created by AI.

Shazia Ahmed’s participation in the roundtable reflects the importance of having school leaders involved in these conversations.

For parents, the message is simple:

AI-ready education is not about replacing books with screens or teachers with machines. It is about preparing children with the knowledge, judgement, creativity, values, and digital skills they need to learn in a world where AI will be part of everyday life.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is AI-friendly education?

AI-friendly education is an approach that helps students understand and use Artificial Intelligence responsibly while continuing to develop critical thinking, creativity, communication, problem-solving, and independent learning skills.

How can schools prepare students for AI?

Schools can introduce age-appropriate AI literacy, digital citizenship, critical thinking, problem-solving, technology projects, responsible AI use, and opportunities to evaluate AI-generated information.

Why is AI literacy important for students?

AI literacy helps students understand how AI works at an appropriate level, recognise its limitations, evaluate information, protect their privacy, and use AI tools responsibly.

Should children use AI for homework?

AI use should depend on the student’s age, school guidelines, and purpose of the assignment. When permitted, AI can support understanding and exploration, but students should still do the thinking and learning themselves.

Will AI replace teachers?

AI can support teachers with certain tasks and learning activities, but teaching also involves relationships, guidance, judgement, encouragement, classroom interaction, and understanding individual students.

What skills will students need in the AI era?

Students will benefit from critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, digital literacy, adaptability, curiosity, and responsible technology use.