A Class 12 student from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, has built an AI-powered teacher ‘robot’ that has quickly gone viral.
Seventeen-year-old Aditya Kumar, a student of Shiv Charan Inter College, created the ‘robot’—named Sophie—using an "LLM-based chipset" and demonstrated it in his classroom, where the video was recorded and widely shared.
In the clip, posted by ANI, Sophie introduces herself to the students, says she teaches at the school, and invites questions.
Aditya then tests her with general knowledge queries. When asked who India’s first President was, Sophie replies, “Dr Rajendra Prasad.” She also correctly answers that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the country’s first Prime Minister.
The robot’s interaction drew immediate interest from students and teachers, many of whom praised the teen’s initiative. However, users on X noted that the model appears to function more like a mannequin connected to an LLM-based voice assistant—likely using an API such as ChatGPT—rather than an independently operating humanoid robot.
WHAT IS THE ‘LLM CHIPSET’ THAT THE ‘ROBOT’ IS USING?
Speaking to ANI, Aditya explained that he used a chipset typically used by major robotics companies. “I have used an LLM chipset to build this robot. It can clear students' doubts. For now, she can only speak, but we are designing it so she can write as well soon,” he said. He added that more hands-on infrastructure is needed: “There should be a lab in every district so students can come there and do research.”
There is no such thing as a physical “LLM chipset.” Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude run on high-end cloud servers like GPU clusters or datacentres, and cannot function from a small hardware chip inside a robot. This does not diminish the student’s innovation, as many beginner robotics projects use a physical shell combined with AI APIs.
Aditya likely used components such as a microcontroller (Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico), a small SBC like Raspberry Pi or Jetson Nano/Orin Nano, which can run tiny AI models, or a WiFi-enabled board that calls an online AI API. These boards can connect to an LLM but cannot run it locally. Any classroom robot using an LLM typically relies on an internet connection to send queries to the AI model and receive responses, with the mannequin serving only as the physical interface.
In such setups, the local board handles sensors, speakers and basic control, while the AI processing happens online. The viral video shows the mannequin moving its arms using servo motors, stepper motors, pneumatic cylinders or motor drivers connected to Arduino/Raspberry Pi—movement that does not require an LLM.
As per the viral demo video, Sophie uses speech recognition to capture audio, sends it to a cloud-based AI/LLM for processing, and then plays the response through text-to-speech. Servo motors are likely handling basic, preprogrammed movements like head turns or hand gestures in sync with the audio.
CLASSROOM DEMO GOES VIRAL
The demonstration video shows students reacting with excitement as Sophie answers questions confidently, with the underlying AI likely processing responses via an online LLM. Teachers at the school praised Aditya’s effort, calling it an impressive example of how young learners are experimenting with AI tools even without access to advanced labs or resources. The project has sparked conversations about how Indian students are increasingly embracing AI, robotics and STEM innovation, especially at the school level.
KERALA’S AI TEACHER
The video comes shortly after Kerala’s introduction of India’s first AI teacher, ‘Iris’. In March 2024, Kerala became the first state in India to unveil a generative AI-powered teacher named Iris, developed by Makerlabs Edutech Private Limited. Introduced at KTCT Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram, Iris is a humanoid designed to personalise learning and support classroom instruction. Makerlabs shared videos of Iris in action, describing it as a step toward transforming education through AI-driven teaching assistance and adaptive learning tools—setting the stage for student innovators like Aditya to experiment with classroom AI on their own.
