‘Appu is designed to be a personalised tutor’: How this Google-backed AI tool is reshaping education

“We were seeing that after six to eight months of our intervention, super users—parents and caregivers deeply engaged in our programme—came back to us saying their children had outgrown the standard educational videos. They were eager for more interactive and personalised learning,” Sunil said. 

Rocket Learning has been working extensively with Anganwadi centres–the government-run daycare and early learning centres–to enhance school readiness and IQ scores among young children. Sunil shared that the organisation reaches around 3.2 million children across 10 states in India, working closely with both caregivers and government stakeholders.

When asked how Appu stood out in a sea of early learning applications, Sunil revealed that traditional EdTech platforms often follow a linear learning model that may fail to address the diverse and changing needs of young learners. “Most EdTech tools today repeatedly serve the same content or direct learners back to instructional videos without allowing for personalised conversational learning, which is crucial in early childhood education,” Sunil explained.

Appu’s origin

When asked about the inspiration behind the creation of Appu, the team shared that with rapid advancements in generative AI, they saw an opportunity to create a more engaging and adaptive learning experience for students. According to them, Appu represents an affable elephant tutor who enables children to learn through conversation, everyday objects, and real-world examples rather than passive screen time.

“Appu is designed to be a personalised tutor. It speaks directly to the child and parent, helping them learn concepts through a dialogue. If a child struggles with a concept, Appu doesn’t just repeat the same explanation—it adapts, offering new examples and different ways of teaching,” Sunil added.

According to Sunil, this innovation is particularly relevant in India, where voice-based communication is deeply integral to everyday life. “India uses the highest number of voice notes in the world. It’s a very voice-centric culture, so it was crucial to design Appu in a way that aligns with this behaviour,” he noted.

Appu currently offers a multilingual and conversational learning experience. While at present it is in Hindi, the makers will expand to 20 other languages including Marathi and Punjabi. 

Human-centred AI

When asked about the research that went into building Appu, Sunil affirmed that to ensure that AI enhances rather than replaces human interaction, the organisation embedded pedagogy into Appu’s development process. “We conducted extensive on-ground research, observing how the best teachers and caregivers engaged with children. We wanted Appu to reflect this, making learning interactive and culturally relevant,” Sunil explained.

(From left to right) Vishal Sunil, co-founder and CTO, Rocket Learning; Nina Badgaiyan, senior specialist, ADB; Wilson White, vice president, government affairs and public policy, Google; Savitri Thakur, minister; Azeez Gupta, co-founder at Rocket Learning.

With Appu, the AI-driven learning sessions are structured to be two minutes long, involving different methods and real-world examples to make concepts easy. “We don’t want an AI tool that just generates answers. Instead, we focus on structured, guided experiences where AI supports learning within well-defined parameters,” he said.

Google’s support for innovation

Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, is a key supporter of Rocket Learning’s initiative. “We look for organisations that combine a strong team, ambitious goals, and a deep understanding of the problem they’re tackling,” said Lewin.

When asked about the motivation behind supporting non-profits like Rocket Learning, Lewin said, “Google.org has been one of the earliest and first major funders of AI for social impact applications. In the last few years, we’ve funded more than $200 million around the world to organisations with promising examples of AI making rapid progress against tough challenges.”

Beyond funding, Google.org also provided Rocket Learning the opportunity to engage with a team of experts from around the world contributing their knowledge in AI, UX design, and engineering, etc. “This support helped Rocket Learning rapidly prototype and deploy Appu in ways that might have taken much longer otherwise,” Lewin said.

Challenges and striking a balance

At a time when several studies suggest overreliance on AI tools can potentially lead to cognitive decline, it is imperative that applications are developed responsibly. With early learning applications, integrating AI comes with a set of unique challenges. One of the major challenges has been ensuring AI tools remain engaging while maintaining the natural curiosity and creativity of young learners. “We don’t want AI to take away a child’s thinking process. Instead, we aim to use AI as an enabler—helping children explore, ask questions, and engage in meaningful conversations,” said Sunil.

Another challenge has been acclimatising parents, many of whom may not be digitally literate. “We share Appu’s content via WhatsApp, making it easier for parents to engage. Anganwadi workers, who are trusted figures in these communities, also play a key role in guiding parents,” Sunil explained.

Technical challenges also persist, particularly in adapting AI for real-world conditions. “Children often mix languages when learning numbers, switching between Hindi and English. Conventional apps would mark this as incorrect, but Appu, with its multilingual AI capabilities, recognises such responses as valid,” he noted.

Rocket Learning aims to reach 50 million families by 2030, ensuring that early childhood education is accessible to all. When asked how the organisation planned to achieve this, Suni said, “There is a real risk of an AI divide, where children from privileged backgrounds benefit from cutting-edge AI learning tools while others are left behind. We want to prevent that by making AI-driven education a digital public good, accessible to all.”

With government partnerships and a scalable AI-driven model, Rocket Learning hopes to embed Appu into India’s educational framework. “Anganwadi centres are evolving into true early learning hubs, and with AI, we can enhance their effectiveness,” Sunil said.