How Indian Schools Can Implement AI Companions Responsibly
Neha Kapoor
Founder, Kyloen · Parent of Arjun, aged 11
Start with governance, not technology: a short written AI policy, a lawful parental consent process, a signed data processing agreement with the vendor, and a safeguarding plan for anything worrying a student says. Then run a small, time-limited pilot with trained teachers and success measures agreed in advance, tell parents before launch, and expand only when the evidence supports it.
Key takeaways
- Policy, consent, a vendor contract and safeguarding come before any student account.
- Under India's DPDP Act, the school is usually responsible for students' data, not just the vendor.
- Pilot one or two sections for a term, with measures agreed in advance.
- Train teachers and brief parents before launch, not after.
- An AI tool is never the safeguarding system. People are.
Step 1: What policy and governance does a school need?
Before a single student account is created, write down how AI will be used. This is not bureaucracy. It is what lets a principal answer a hard question from a parent, a teacher or a journalist with confidence. Two or three pages is enough. The policy should cover:
- Which tools are approved, for which classes, and for what purposes.
- Acceptable use rules for students, including what counts as honest use for homework.
- How academic integrity is protected, for example by assessing working and oral explanation.
- How concerns are reported and handled, by whom, and how quickly.
- Who reviews the policy, and when (at least yearly).
International guidance can help. UNESCO's guidance on generative AI in education recommends that schools validate tools before use, protect data, and set age limits, suggesting 13 as a minimum for independent classroom use of general generative AI. Tools designed for younger children should be judged on their own safeguards.
Step 2: How should consent and vendor checks work?
India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) treats anyone under 18 as a child. In a typical school deployment the school is the Data Fiduciary, the party responsible for deciding why and how students' data is used, and the vendor is a Data Processor acting under contract. The school cannot hand its responsibilities to the vendor.
Section 9 of the Act requires verifiable consent from a parent or guardian before a child's data is processed, and prohibits tracking, behavioural monitoring and targeted advertising directed at children. The DPDP Rules, notified in November 2025 and being phased in, include limited exemptions for educational institutions for specific purposes. Take legal advice before relying on any exemption.
In practice, before collecting consent, the school should have a signed Data Processing Agreement (DPA) with the vendor that covers the data collected, purposes, where it is processed (including any processing outside India), retention and deletion, sub-processors, security, breach notification and what happens when the contract ends. Our companion article on student data privacy lists the questions to ask.
Step 3: How should safeguarding work with an AI tool?
Students sometimes tell an AI things they have not told an adult. The school must decide in advance what happens next. Name a safeguarding lead, usually the school counsellor or a senior teacher. Agree with the vendor what kinds of concerns are flagged, to whom, and how fast. Make sure those alerts reach a person who knows the school's procedures, and that parents are informed in line with your policy.
Remember the law. Under the POCSO Act, 2012, anyone who learns that a child may have been sexually abused must report it to the police or the Special Juvenile Police Unit. An AI alert does not change that duty. Keep helplines visible to students and staff: Tele-MANAS 14416 for mental health support, Childline 1098 for children in need of care or protection, iCall 9152987821, and 112 in an emergency.
Step 4: How should a school run the pilot?
Keep it small enough to manage carefully: one or two sections of one class, often somewhere between Classes 6 and 8. Avoid board-exam years for a first pilot. Run it for one term.
Agree success measures before launch. Many pilots are hard to evaluate because nobody decided what success meant. Sensible measures include the share of families who gave consent, how regularly students used the tool, teacher observations about how students ask questions in class, a short parent survey, and the number and handling of any safety concerns. Be wary of claiming learning gains from a single term; short pilots rarely show them reliably.
Train teachers first. They do not need to become AI experts. They need to know what the tool does and does not do, how to answer common questions, what they can see, and what to do if a student reports something concerning. A couple of hours plus a written guide is a reasonable start.
Brief parents before launch. Explain the purpose, the consent required, how data is protected, what parents can see and how to opt out. An evening where parents try the tool themselves builds more trust than any brochure.
Review half-way. Around week five or six, gather quick feedback from teachers and students and fix problems before the pilot ends.
Step 5: When and how should a school expand?
Expand only if the pilot met the measures you set. Share the results honestly with parents, including what did not work. Plan the logistics of creating accounts and collecting consent for larger numbers, and build regular teacher check-ins into the school calendar, for example a short session each term to share what is working and what students and parents are asking.
A ten-point readiness checklist
- Written AI policy approved and shared with staff.
- Vendor answers to data questions received in writing.
- Signed Data Processing Agreement in place.
- Parental consent process ready and tested.
- Safeguarding lead named and escalation route agreed with the vendor.
- Teachers trained and given a written guide.
- Parent briefing held before launch.
- Success measures written down.
- Mid-pilot review scheduled.
- Plan for deleting data if the school stops using the tool.
What does success look like in year one?
Year one is about foundations, not transformation. A school that ends the year with a working consent process, trained teachers, informed parents, students who use the tool sensibly and safety concerns handled well has done the important work, even if it cannot yet show academic gains. Regular, moderate use over time is more likely to help than bursts of heavy use before exams.
It is also fine to conclude that a tool is not right for your school. AI companions are not suitable for every student or every setting, and a teacher, counsellor or peer-support programme may serve some needs better.
For transparency: Kyloen offers schools a free pilot through our schools page, and publishes a template school DPA so you can see our terms before talking to us. A dedicated school portal is still being built.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a school AI pilot run?
One school term, roughly 10 to 12 weeks, is usually enough to see how students actually use the tool, gather teacher and parent feedback and fix problems, without over-committing. Build in a review at the half-way point.
Which classes should a school choose for a pilot?
Many schools start with one or two sections in the middle years, around Classes 6 to 8, where students can use a tool fairly independently and parents are still closely involved. Avoid starting with board-exam classes (Classes 10 and 12), where any disruption carries higher stakes.
What does the DPDP Act mean for a school using AI?
India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 treats under-18s as children. The school is usually the Data Fiduciary responsible for students' data, and the AI vendor processes it under contract. Verifiable parental consent, limits on tracking and behavioural monitoring of children, security and deletion all apply. The Rules include limited exemptions for educational institutions, so take legal advice before relying on them.
How should schools tell parents about an AI pilot?
Before launch, in plain language: what the tool does and does not do, what data is collected and where it is processed, how long it is kept, what parents and teachers can see, what happens if a student raises a safety concern, and how to opt out or ask questions. Hold a short session where parents can try it.
What are the most common mistakes?
Choosing a tool on price or features alone, launching without a written policy or parent communication, skipping teacher training, not deciding in advance how success will be measured, having no safeguarding process for concerning disclosures, and rolling out to every class at once.
What should happen if a student discloses abuse or self-harm to an AI tool?
The school's safeguarding process should apply exactly as it would for any other disclosure: a named staff member, prompt contact with parents where appropriate, and referral to professionals. Under the POCSO Act, 2012, suspected sexual abuse of a child must be reported to the police or Special Juvenile Police Unit. Helplines include Tele-MANAS 14416 and Childline 1098.