Rocket Learning launches AI tutor for early childhood education

Rocket Learning, with support from Google.org, has launched Appu, an AI-powered tutor aimed at providing personalised early learning for children aged 3–6 in India. The launch event took place at The Ashok, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, with participation from government stakeholders, education experts, and entrepreneurs.

Appu offers a multilingual, conversational learning experience, beginning with Hindi and expanding to 20 additional languages, including Marathi and Punjabi. It is designed to address the lack of access to quality preschool education for over 40 million children in India and improve early learners’ basic literacy and numeracy skills.

The AI tutor focuses on school readiness skills, including pre-literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional development. It is freely accessible on digital devices and uses advanced Large Language Models (LLMs) to perform reasoning tasks efficiently.

Appu was developed over six months with technical assistance from Google.org Fellows and a $1.5 million grant awarded in 2023 as part of the AI for Global Goals Impact Challenge.

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The tutor is currently being piloted by thousands of children and is projected to reach 50 million families by 2030, including those in government-run Anganwadi centres and preschools nationwide.

Rocket Learning estimates that Appu and its other educational initiatives could generate $4 billion in lifetime economic value for India by improving early childhood education outcomes.

The programme was supported by a group of Google employees who participated in a six-month Google.org Fellowship, working pro bono with Rocket Learning. The grant also supported the development of a machine-learning system that automates grading for approximately 50,000 homework assignments shared daily.

Google.org representatives stated that their collaboration with Rocket Learning aligns with efforts to make AI technologies more accessible, particularly in areas such as early education.

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