A robot went around a table, stopped when it sensed humans and distributed sweets to them.
Girls at Loreto Day School, Bowbazar, demonstrated their model as the guests took turns and picked up the sweets.
On Tuesday, the school inaugurated the AI and robotics lab to give all students from Classes III to VIII a compulsory hands-on training in the subject.
“AI is the future and with the changing times, we have to introduce our children to it from an early age. Of the three computer classes, one will be for AI and robotics in a week,” said Margaret King, principal, Loreto Day School, Bowbazar.
AI is increasingly becoming integrated into everyone’s life.
“Initially, the computer was just a separate subject, but now computer science has become and integral part various subjects,” said King.
For example, students need computers even when they are doing geography, said King. Online submission of projects or conducting research for assignments online is something that has become part of a student’s life.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) offers robotics and artificial intelligence as a subject in Classes IX and X. The 2025 batch of ICSE were the first one to write the examination in the subject in ICSE.
The council introduced robotics and AI as two new subjects in Class XII and in 2027 the first batch of students will write ISC in these two subjects.
The council has been conducting training to better equip teachers with the new subject. For teachers too, it is a new area and many of them are learning while on the job.