Hello Local Guides
A few weeks ago, we received an invitation from the well-known Happy Palace Group of Schools Abul Isphani Campus , in Karachi. The invitation was about meeting Pakistan’s first AI-powered robotic teacher and exploring learning opportunities with it.
In fact, the event focused on the benefits of this robotic teacher, particularly for differently-abled individuals, especially
visually impaired persons. Additionally, there was a discussion on how the AI robotic teacher could educate its audience about
accessibility contributions on Google Maps.
Since the invitation and event date were quite close, I informed my friends through social media messenger. However, there weren’t enough days to create a meetup post on Connect.
Anyway, on the event day, I and @DrFoodieOfficial (Rizwan Shah) arrived at Happy Palace School, Abul Isphani Campus, where we received a warm welcome. We then had the opportunity to meet the mastermind behind Pakistan’s first robotic teacher, “Miss Anny AI” Madam Sadaf Bhatti, who has been associated with the field of education for many years and is now serving as the head of this school. We also met Mr. Hassan, who played a crucial role in the creation of Miss Anny AI.
Among the guests were visually impaired students, whom we had the chance to interact with. We also met Ms. Naghma Aqeel, the head of the institution these students came from.
There, Madam Sadaf Bhatti shared the complete story behind the creation of Miss Anny AI, the robotic teacher. She explained how the idea first came to her, she questioned why, in today’s world, where the real competition revolves around Artificial Intelligence (AI), Pakistan was still lagging behind. Why were our children still learning through old-school methods and traditional teaching techniques, while the rest of the world was advancing with AI?
With this thought in mind, she decided to create Miss Anny AI, hoping that other schools in Pakistan would follow this innovation. She also shared how challenging it was to get the project’s budget approved and then execute everything within those financial constraints. However, she emphasized that when a person is determined to do something meaningful, even the toughest challenges become easier to overcome.
We had seen Miss Anny AI, Pakistan’s first robotic teacher, featured in many TV news reports, and recently, she has been a hot topic in the media.
There was a lot of discussion about how she teaches students, often recites poetry, and even serves as a substitute teacher in case of a teacher’s absence. Interestingly, Miss Anny even has a designated salary of approximately 100,000 PKR (about 330 USD); though, funnily enough, this amount is entirely spent on her maintenance, dresses, makeup and upgrades!
Watching her perform a live demonstration in front of us was an incredible experience.
As a Local Guide, my first question to Miss Anny AI was about Accessibility contributions on Google Maps. I was really impressed by her detailed response, where she explained the importance of
Accessibility contributions on Google Maps and how they benefit people with different abilities.
Of course, We already knew the answers to these questions, but we asked them specifically for the event attendees, who were listening to Miss Anny AI with great interest. And as expected, the impact of her responses was remarkable, even if it was on a small audience!
Similarly, Rizwan asked Miss Anny AI a question: “How to promote small businesses by contributing on Google Maps?”
Miss Anny AI provided a detailed response, explaining the different ways one can support small businesses through contributions on Google Maps. Of course, the attendees present at the event were learning a lot from these discussions, exactly what we wanted to convey to them.
Throughout the event, other attendees also asked various questions, some were humorous, and some were even attempts to provoke Miss Anny AI . However, she responded with great patience and a charming style, handling every question gracefully.
Of course, we all understand that behind this entire project are AI models like Google Gemini, ChatGPT, and another chatbot whose name slipped my mind. These chatbots power Miss Anny AI’s intelligence.
However, implementing this idea locally, integrating these AI models, and then shaping them into a robotic teacher with a lifelike presence in limited budget is no less than a remarkable achievement, especially in a country like Pakistan.
For us, this event became a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness about Google Maps contributions, especially Accessibility contributions. We were able to convey our message through Miss Anny AI, the robotic teacher, ensuring that everyone present listened attentively.
I strongly believe that by continuing to make small, consistent efforts, drop by drop, we can create a ripple effect and bring about meaningful change. And I am confident that our efforts will eventually lead to success.
Please check the video below, video language Urdu/Hindi