Dipak Kurmi
(The writer can be reached at dipakkurmiglpltd@gmail.com)
Each era has its own technological bogeyman a newcomer predicted to render some longstanding practice obsolete. The record is full of such declarations: photography was said to doom painting, radio to kill newspapers, MOOCs to topple universities, and the music video to vanquish the radio star. In the educational space, a similar prediction now hangs over India’s sprawling private tuition industry, with the launch of OpenAI’s Study Mode being heralded in some quarters as the executioner-in-waiting. Yet, as history often reminds us, disruption rarely arrives in a clean, singular blow. It is far more likely to reshape, reallocate and reimagine rather than erase entirely.
The case for disruption is not without merit. In metropolitan cities like Delhi, hiring a competent personal tutor can easily cost over Rs 1,000 per hour, with rates climbing steeply for senior-secondary science subjects or competitive-exam preparation. Families pay these sums because tutors offer a trio of highly prized services: tailored explanations, structured practice routines and immediate doubt resolution. These are precisely the pillars on which Study Mode stakes its claim. OpenAI describes it as “a learning experience that helps you work through problems step by step instead of just getting an answer.” This deceptively simple positioning belies the sophisticated design choices embedded in the system.
The interaction begins with a brief diagnostic exchange to gauge prior knowledge. From there, Study Mode guides the learner through Socratic questioning, calibrated hints, and knowledge checks at regular intervals. Rather than dumping information, it parcels explanations into digestible sequences, highlighting connections between concepts to support cognitive load management and promote metacognition. The company claims that this instructional architecture draws on input from teachers, scientists and learning-science researchers, ensuring that the process mirrors established best practices in pedagogy.
Importantly, students retain agency. They can switch between guided learning and direct Q&A, allowing speed when deadlines loom or curiosity demands immediate answers. OpenAI has framed this as a starting point rather than a finished product. The roadmap includes richer visualisations for dense concepts, goal-setting and progress-tracking that persist across multiple sessions, and more nuanced personalization tuned to long-term learning objectives. These are expected to be enhanced further by the reasoning improvements and multimodal capabilities associated with the newly launched GPT-5 model.
Field tests suggest that the design is not mere theory. When confronted with Grade 10 algebra and first-year university economics problems, Study Mode consistently refrained from supplying complete answers until the learner had attempted at least part of the reasoning. It adapted explanations in real time based on responses, revisited earlier misunderstandings and, at the end of the session, summarized progress with concrete next steps. While occasional factual slips still appeared — a known limitation of large language models — the overall impression was one of sustained, responsive, learner-centred guidance. The tool currently excels in STEM and English subjects, though its adaptability across other domains remains uneven.
On pure functionality, Study Mode matches or exceeds what many human tutors deliver. It operates around the clock, supports multiple languages, and requires no commute. Its economic advantage is stark: even if a household opts for a ChatGPT Plus subscription to access the fastest version, the monthly cost of around $20 remains a fraction of premium metro tuition fees. For learners in districts where qualified tutors are scarce or prohibitively expensive, the possibility of carrying an AI coach in one’s pocket is nothing short of transformative.
Yet this vision collides with the realities of access. In many rural households, a single mobile device is shared among several family members, mobile data is rationed, and electricity supply is unreliable. A text-heavy AI tutor that assumes continuous connectivity risks deepening the very inequities it promises to reduce. Without coordinated efforts from government, telecom operators and ed-tech firms to improve infrastructure and subsidise access, the students already able to afford quality tuition will be the first to reap AI’s benefits, widening the learning gap rather than narrowing it.
There is also the human dimension that technology cannot fully replicate. Skilled tutors notice subtle cues — a furrowed brow, a sudden drop in engagement — and adjust their pace, approach or even subject matter to re-engage the learner. They provide the social accountability that keeps many adolescents on track. They are attuned to emotional and motivational factors, offering encouragement and guidance beyond the immediate problem set. Large language models, for all their sophistication, are prone to hallucinations — confidently providing inaccurate information. A human tutor can detect and correct such missteps before they crystallise into entrenched misconceptions.
In this light, Study Mode does not herald the extinction of private tuition so much as its transformation. Rather than painstakingly walking through every trigonometric derivation, future tutors may serve as meta-coaches—specialists in teaching students how to harness AI effectively. They might focus on crafting strategic questions, interpreting the AI’s hints, validating its explanations against reliable sources, and integrating its output into broader study plans. Their role shifts from source of answers to architect of learning environments where human insight and machine efficiency complement one another.
This redefined role aligns with broader educational research suggesting that the most effective learning blends direct instruction with guided discovery, reflection and contextualisation. In a tech-enabled classroom, a perceptive human guide becomes even more essential. They can motivate students to reflect on their learning strategies, connect academic work to long-term aspirations, and model the critical thinking required to navigate an information-rich world. For first-generation learners without ready access to subject experts, such mentorship is particularly valuable. An AI tutor may provide instant academic support, but it cannot yet replicate the relational trust and cultural navigation offered by a committed human mentor.
The implications extend beyond individual households to the policy sphere. If AI tutoring tools like Study Mode are to contribute to equity, their deployment must be coupled with infrastructure expansion, digital literacy training and clear regulatory frameworks. Policymakers need to consider not only the technical capacities of the AI but also the ecosystem that enables its use—from affordable devices and reliable internet to teacher training in blended learning models. Ed-tech companies, for their part, will need to design with inclusivity in mind, optimising for low-bandwidth environments and building in safeguards against misuse or over-reliance.
Ultimately, the private tuition market in India may not shrink so much as evolve. The bottom tier — tutors who simply read from guidebooks or recycle last year’s notes — will face intense pressure from a free, tireless AI alternative. But those who reinvent themselves as mentors in critical thinking, metacognition and responsible AI use will become even more indispensable. The future learning space will rest on a tripod: an inquisitive student, a capable AI assistant and a perceptive human guide. Remove any one leg, and the structure wobbles.
Study Mode has set a higher bar for what is possible in personalised, scalable instruction. Whether that bar becomes a stepping-stone toward greater equity or a stumbling block that deepens divides will depend on the choices made now by educators, policymakers and technologists alike. The tools are here, the potential is clear, and the challenge is urgent — to shape a future where technology expands human capacity without erasing the human touch.