IIT Madras, UNESCO MGIEP partner to develop AI, immersive learning technologies

IIT Madras and UNESCO’s Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) have joined hands to develop AI and immersive learning technologies aimed at expanding the use of digital tools in education.

The partnership was formalized through an agreement signed in the presence of UNESCO MGIEP Director Obijiofor Aginam, IIT Madras Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research) Manu Santhanam and M Manivannan, head of IIT Madras’ Experiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC).

The collaboration will combine UNESCO MGIEP’s work in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) with IIT Madras’ capabilities in artificial intelligence, Extended Reality (XR), game design and immersive technologies.

Aginam said UNESCO MGIEP would bring its expertise in SEL to the initiative while ensuring that the technology aligns with UNESCO’s recommendations on ethical AI and learner-centered education.

The partnership is expected to result in an open-source AI tool that can help integrate SEL into routine classroom activities.

The technology is intended to assist teachers in incorporating SEL into lesson plans, classroom activities and assessments, while reducing the additional effort required to implement these approaches.

Aginam said the AI models developed through the collaboration are expected to be affordable and capable of functioning effectively in low-bandwidth environments, reducing reliance on uninterrupted internet access.

The initiative will also focus on creating digital learning technologies that can be scaled and adapted for use across different education systems globally, according to a press release.

The project is aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4.7, which calls for education that promotes peaceful, inclusive and sustainable societies.

Beyond technology development, IIT Madras and UNESCO MGIEP will explore collaborative research spanning educational technology, pedagogy, AI and learning sciences. The partnership will also facilitate faculty and researcher exchanges, workshops, conferences and seminars.

The two institutions will further pursue interdisciplinary research connecting immersive technologies with pedagogy and learning science, with the aim of developing education solutions that can be applied across different learning environments.