When AI becomes the tutor

By integrating free AI-powered mock tests, conversational tutoring and personalised performance analysis into Gemini, Google is steadily positioning itself at the centre of India’s competitive exam-preparation market. Through partnerships with players such as Physics Wallah and Careers360, Gemini is reshaping how students prepare for exams like JEE and NEET – and more importantly, where they prepare from.

For decades, India’s coaching economy thrived on concentration of academic resources. Cities such as Kota and Delhi evolved into education hubs because access to quality teachers, structured preparation and test material remained geographically limited. Families routinely spent lakhs of rupees on coaching fees, hostel accommodation and relocation costs in pursuit of better outcomes.

Google Gemini threatens to weaken that model by turning the smartphone into a personalised coaching centre. A student in a Tier-2 or Tier-3 town can now generate full-length mock tests instantly, receive AI-driven performance analysis within seconds and ask follow-up questions conversationally in natural language.

Instead of depending entirely on classroom schedules or physical doubt-solving sessions, students can access round-the-clock academic support through AI.

The significance of this shift lies not just in convenience, but in scale and affordability. Unlike conventional coaching platforms built around expensive subscription models, Gemini’s AI layer dramatically lowers the cost of delivering personalised learning support.

The economics are potentially disruptive for India’s test-preparation market, where pricing power has historically depended on scarcity of faculty and study material.

What makes Google’s entry particularly powerful is distribution. Gemini already sits within Google’s wider ecosystem of Android smartphones, Search and productivity tools. This gives the company direct access to millions of students without building a conventional coaching business from scratch. In effect, Google is not trying to become another coaching institute. Instead, it is becoming the infrastructure layer beneath digital learning.

“AI-powered learning tools such as Google Gemini can influence how students prepare for competitive exams based on two factors – competency and access,” said Pranav Jindal, associate professor of marketing at Indian School of Business. Competency refers to the ability of AI systems to provide reasonably accurate responses and improve student performance, while access comes from partnerships that help expand adoption across geographies.

Jindal noted that collaborations with platforms such as Physics Wallah and Careers360 could widen access beyond Tier-1 cities, especially in regions where physical coaching infrastructure remains underdeveloped. That creates pressure on coaching companies to rethink their value proposition. If AI can generate unlimited practice questions, create adaptive study plans and solve doubts instantly, traditional lecture-centric coaching risks becoming commoditised.

The market is therefore moving from content delivery to mentorship-led learning. “PhysicsWallah has consistently invested in AI-led education through initiatives like Aryabhatta because we believe the next leap in learning will come from deeply personalised and intelligent educational experiences,” said Abhishek Tiwari, chief product officer at PhysicsWallah.

He said the company’s partnership with Gemini reflects a broader industry shift towards combining trusted education platforms with advanced AI ecosystems to make learning more accessible and outcome-driven. According to Tiwari, AI is increasingly becoming a primary interface for learning and discovery, helping students access personalised educational support regardless of geography or background.

That hybrid approach is becoming the industry consensus. upGrad, which has integrated AI through its partnership with OpenAI, also sees AI as an expansion tool rather than a replacement for institutions. “AI tutors and mock tests are expanding access, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 India, but real outcomes still depend on structured pedagogy, mentorship and accountability,” said Anuj Vishwakarma, CEO – Higher Education, upGrad.

However, Jindal argued that AI tutors should not be viewed as substitutes for human teachers. While AI systems may provide similar information, student engagement and motivation remain fundamentally different. Research shows that combining human and AI coaches often delivers better outcomes because teachers help students set goals, maintain discipline and track progress.

This could gradually reduce dependence on Kota-style migration. While physical coaching hubs are unlikely to disappear immediately, their monopoly over high-quality preparation is weakening. Students no longer need to relocate solely for doubt solving, mock testing or revision support. AI is steadily unbundling the coaching experience into digital services accessible from anywhere.

Allen Digital is already moving in that direction. Its AI-powered doubts bot, Allie, combines large language models with academic context to deliver guided problem-solving instead of direct answers. “Technology and AI offer a massive opportunity to improve learning outcomes at scale,” said Rakesh Ranjan, CEO, Allen Digital. He added that effective learning still requires teaching, practice, remediation and human interaction.

Google Gemini is not eliminating teachers or coaching institutes overnight. But it is fundamentally changing what students expect from them. Instant doubt-solving, personalised mock tests and adaptive learning are quickly becoming baseline features rather than premium offerings. The real disruption is not that AI will replace coaching, but that it is rapidly reducing the advantages traditional coaching centres once monopolised.

(With inputs from Anees Hussain)

What’s changing

• Gemini is shifting exam preparation from classroom-led coaching to AI-driven personalised learning 
• Tie-ups with Physics Wallah and Careers360 are helping expand access to students beyond coaching hubs
• Edtech firms increasingly see AI as a force multiplier that improves accessibility and personalisation
• The coaching industry is shifting from content-led teaching towards outcome driven learning