Artificial intelligence should be used as a starting point for research and analysis, rather than followed blindly, Indranath Gupta, dean of SRM School of Law, said at an education panel held in Tamil Nadu.
The discussion, titled Beyond Smart Classrooms: Technology Driving Institutional Excellence, was organised by The Times of India as part of its Edu Icons 2026 initiative. Panellists examined how institutions can adapt teaching, assessment and administration as AI-powered tools become part of students’ academic work and everyday conversations.
Gupta said technology had made legal research and access to information much faster, though the fundamentals of law remained unchanged. The panel’s central tension was the need to use AI’s speed and reach without allowing it to displace academic judgement and the human qualities that underpin learning.
Jayaprakash Gandhi, a career consultant and educationist, called for colleges to move beyond theoretical instruction and give students more practical, application-oriented exposure. V M Muralidharan, chairman of Ethiraj College for Women and chairman of ALERT NGO, said problem-solving ability would matter more to employability than academic qualifications alone, and argued that skill sets must be integrated into curricula.
Moderated by Kalaimamani Anil Srinivasan, founder of KRUU and professor of practice at Krea University, the panel advocated interdisciplinary and project-based learning, industry engagement and flexible models combining classroom teaching, industry projects and remote learning. It held that empathy, creativity, emotional intelligence and ethical judgement remain beyond AI’s capacity to replicate.
Tamil Nadu Minister for School Education, Tamil Development, Information and Publicity A Rajamohan, who attended as chief guest, outlined education department measures including digitised complaint monitoring, support for children with autism and other special needs, classroom upgrades, STEM expansion and equal importance for humanities. The key question for institutions is how they will assess and develop students’ independent thinking as AI tools become increasingly routine.
