Kerala launches massive AI literacy drive targeting 6 lakh parents
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), the technical arm of the state General Education Department, has launched a massive artificial intelligence literacy drive targeting the adult population.
Titled 'Sarvam AI Mayam' (AI is Everywhere), the initiative is considered as the largest such artificial intelligence awareness programme to be implemented in the country, official sources said here on Sunday.
Under the initiative, students of the Little KITEs IT clubs will provide AI training to 6 lakh parents through the state's public schools, according to an official statement.
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The programme, which is scheduled to run until June 30, 2026, is being implemented across 2,200 Little KITEs units, with each unit training an average of 300 parents, it said.
The two-hour training module is designed to give equal importance to both the opportunities and the risks associated with AI.
According to K Anvar Sadath, CEO of KITE, the initiative begins with a simplified introduction to Machine Learning—the core technology that allows machines to process data and make decisions like humans.
To illustrate the creative power of AI, parents are shown videos where the classic paintings of Raja Ravi Varma are brought to life through animation.
The sessions focus heavily on the practical use of AI in daily life via smartphones, he explained.
"Parents are trained to use AI-powered tools to identify birds and plants or to translate signboards from other languages, such as Tamil, into Malayalam in real-time."
The training also offers hands-on experience in using AI assistants to write poems, plan travel itineraries, and generate recipes from available household ingredients.
Additionally, the module demonstrates how AI can be used for photo restoration to preserve and enhance old family photographs.
Alongside these practical benefits, the project issues vital warnings about the digital landscape's potential dangers, the official added.
The curriculum includes specific techniques for identifying AI-generated deepfake videos, forged images, and cloned voices, providing parents with the necessary precautions to avoid falling for such scams.
It also aims to build resilience against emotional misinformation and "fake news" on social media while emphasising the importance of internet etiquette.
Parents are also introduced to 'Samagra Plus Learning Room,' an AI-based educational platform developed by KITE to help them support their children's studies.
This initiative serves as a follow-up to the successful cybersecurity training provided to 400,000 parents in 2023-24, as per the statement.
Sadath noted that the training will incorporate the most recent security standards, including the IT Intermediary Amendment Rules 2026, which are set to take effect on February 20, 2026.
The ultimate goal of 'Sarvam AI Mayam' is to ensure that every citizen possesses the skills to distinguish between reality and deception in the AI era, with students leading the charge in educating their own families, the official added.
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Minister Sivankutty welcomes PM Modi to 'developed Nemom', BJP hits back
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow here for April 9 Assembly elections, Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty and BJP state leadership on Saturday locked horns on social media over development issues.
Sivankutty, LDF candidate from Nemom, in a Facebook post welcomed Modi for the roadshow in the constituency later in the day and highlighted a series of development projects.
The BJP state unit took a swipe at the minister through another Facebook post sarcastically questioning his claims.
In the FB post, Sivankutty said he was happy that the Prime Minister would conduct a roadshow from Killipalam junction towards Pappanamcode, as it would provide an opportunity to witness the development initiatives carried out in Nemom.
The senior CPI(M) leader is also the sitting MLA in Nemom, one of the constituencies where BJP pins its hopes the most in the upcoming Assembly polls.
The minister invited PM Modi to witness what he described as a "developed Nemom".
He listed several projects along the proposed route of the PM's scheduled roadshow, including a newly established ITI at Chala built at a cost of Rs 18 crore and the state office of SSK, which he said was constructed by the Kerala government after alleged denial of central assistance.
The minister further pointed to infrastructure such as the Deputy Director of Education's office complex, and a new building for Chala school constructed at a cost of Rs 4.8 crore.
He also highlighted road development and beautification works from Karamana junction to Pravachambalam, undertaken at a cost of Rs 5 crore, along with new street lighting installations.
Sivankutty said additional projects included multi-storey school buildings at various institutions, road upgradation works, and a career development centre built at a cost of Rs 6 crore.
While welcoming the Prime Minister, Sivankutty also urged him to explain the delay in disbursing Rs 1,500 crore allegedly due to Kerala under the SSK scheme, stating that the funds are meant for supporting children from economically weaker and marginalised sections.
He further claimed that salaries of around 7,000 teaching and non-teaching staff under the scheme are currently being paid by the state government.
In its social media post, the BJP's state leadership responded sarcastically to Sivankutty's claims of development by listing a series of prominent landmarks in and around Thiruvananthapuram, suggesting that the PM could see them by simply turning in different directions.
"Turn a little to the right and you can see the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Go straight from there and you will see the Vizhinjam seaport. Turn left and you can see the Thumba rocket launch centre. From there, if you go straight, you will reach Thiruvananthapuram railway station. Turn right and you will see the Padmanabhaswamy temple," it said.
"Go straight and you will reach Kovalam international beach. And if you look up from there, you can see the sky," the post said in Malayalam.
