AI is assigned a seat in the IITs and IIMs, norms here

In the IITs, IIMs, and universities across the country, the use of AI is in a grey area. IIM Kozhikode Director Prof Debashis Chatterjee had said last year that there was no evil in using ChatGPT to write research papers. What was at one time a whisper has now become a larger question: no longer if AI can be used, but how.

Now that the professors and students are receptive to using it, many are already doing so, but not according to set guidelines. The real issue now is not intent, but the lack of established parameters that need to be set.

From India's topmost institutions, the argument is no longer theoretical. It's actual; it's pragmatic; it's imperative. From IIT Delhi to IIM Sambalpur, from coding classrooms to laboratories, students and teachers alike are confronting the same reality: AI is not arriving. It's arrived. And it's functioning rapidly.

"There is no question AI is here to stay, and the only question is how it should be used. Students are already using it to aid their learning, so it's essential that they are aware both of its advantages and its disadvantages, including ethical considerations and the impact on cognition of over-use," responded Professor Dr Srikanth Sugavanam, IIT Mandi, in response to a question to India Today Digital.

"Institutions need not limit the use of AI, but they must create clear cut guardrails so that both teachers and students can utilize it responsibly," he said further.

IIT DELHI INITIATIVE

In a forward-thinking but firm step, IIT Delhi has prepared guidelines for the ethical utilization of AI by students and faculty. The institute had conducted an internal survey prior to preparing them. What they found was astounding.

More than 80 percent of the students surveyed admitted they use tools such as ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, Perplexity AI, Claude, and Chatbots.

However, over half the staff members reported that they too were using AI -- some for writing up, some for programming, some for study preparation.

The new regulations are not to prohibit the use of AI. It is more about setting the boundary that says: use it, but don't farm out your thinking.

ON CAMPUS, THERE'S A SHIFT ON THE HORIZON

On IIM Jammu campus, however, the students indicate that the rule is stringent: no more than 10 percent use of AI on any assignment.

"We're giving lectures, committees, and eight assignments within three months," said one student. "Each day it feels like introducing a new ball to the juggling act. In that heat, AI feels like a bit of rain."

They are not fibbing. There are applications these days which can read PDFs aloud, organize slide decks, even map out ideas. The moment you are stuck, you can 'chat' your way through. It is easy software, easy to use, and, for some, indispensable.

But this is the other side: there are students now constructing their entire workflow around AI. They are writing with AI, humanising with AI, evading AI detectors with AI.

"Use of plagiarism detection tools, like Turnitin, that claim to detect the Gen-AI content. But because Gen-AI is evolving so quickly, these programmes struggle to keep up with its pace. We don't have an overarching policy framework so that we cannot define clearly between the ethical and lazy use of Gen-AI," an IIT Mandi professor told India Today.

NOT WHAT AI DOES, BUT WHAT IT REPLACES

In IIM Sambalpur, the management is not trying to hold back AI. They are embracing it. The institute segments AI application into three pillars:

Cognitive automation - for writing and coding

Cognitive insight - for performance evaluation

Cognitive engagement - for interaction and feedback

Students can use AI aids, but only with the provision of transparency. They have to declare their sources. In case AI is used, then citing is required. Uncredited usage is academic dishonesty.

"At IIM Sambalpur, we do not prohibit the use of AI tools for research, writing, or coding. We encourage the use of technology to the best extent possible to enhance performance. AI is supposed to augment, but not corner-cut," IIM Sambalpur Director Professor Mahadeo Jaiswal explained in an interview with India Today. 

But even as technology advances, a deeper challenge is emerging: Are students losing the ability to think for themselves?

MIT's new research has a response to that, and the response is yes, too much dependence on AI weakens critical thinking.

It slows down the brain's ability to analyze, compare, question, and argue. And those are the same abilities colleges are supposed to instill.

One IIM student summed it up nicely: "AI has levelled the playing field. Earlier, students from small towns did not have access or mentors. Now, they can do practice interviews, receive feedback, hone skills, all online. But it is about how you use it."

TEACHERS ARE UNDER PRESSURE TOO

The teachers are not exempt from it anymore. AI is now turning into mentor and performing tasks even instructors cannot perform. With AI in tow, pedagogy must change.

The previous method -- assign, submit, grade -- doesn't cut it anymore. Now, 'guide on the side' education is the trend.

Less lectures, more interaction. No essays, group work. No theory, hackathons.

It's a matter of crafting in-school learning environments where children must think, talk, problem-solve, and explain why they did it in that manner. AI can be an aid, not a replacement.

SO, WHERE IS THE LINE?

There is no such national directive yet. But the common sense among IITs and IIMs is this:

AI can aid, not replace.

State what you used.

Learn, not just complete.

Pundits like John J Kennedy, who was formerly the dean at Christ University, believe that India needs a visionary framework.

One which doesn't fear AI, but one which sets limits, teaches ethics, and encourages out-of-the-box thinking.

Students today know that they cannot ignore AI. Not in tier-1 cities. Not even in tier-2 towns.

Institutions will still debate over policy. Tools will still get better. But for teachers, and students, the real test will be one of discipline, not access. Of intent, not ability.

Because AI can do much. But it cannot ask the questions that matter.