For years, students preparing for competitive exams such as JEE, NEET, and UPSC relied religiously on textbooks, guidebooks, coaching notes, and reference materials. Today, however, a new study companion has entered the picture: artificial intelligence.
Tools such as ChatGPT are increasingly becoming the first place students turn to when they have a doubt. While books and coaching remain important, AI is changing how students access explanations, revise concepts, and solve problems.
This growing dependence on AI is prompting educators, publishers, and coaching institutes to rethink how learning resources are designed and delivered.
AI Becomes Students’ First Stop for Doubt Solving
For many students, AI has become the quickest way to understand difficult concepts. Janith (name changed), a 21-year-old JEE aspirant, tells AIM that ChatGPT is now often the first place he turns to when he encounters a problem.
“Honestly, these days I usually open ChatGPT first. It’s mainly because it’s quick. If I’m studying physics and get stuck on a concept, I can just type my doubt exactly the way it’s in my head and get an explanation instantly,” he says.
AI has reduced the time he spends struggling with concepts.
“Earlier, if I didn’t understand something, I’d keep reading the same page again and again or watch multiple videos until it clicked. Now I just ask AI to explain it differently. It makes studying less frustrating,” he adds.
However, Janith does not believe AI can completely replace books. “Books still have a lot of value because they’re organised and trusted. AI can make mistakes sometimes. But I think books may not be the first place students go anymore in 2026 when they need immediate help,” he notes.
Learning Habits are Evolving
Education experts say students now expect faster and more personalised learning experiences.
Harsh Kapasi, Chief Operating Officer at coaching institute Arihant Academy, says the rise of AI has reinforced students’ expectations for instant clarification.
“Students today expect instant clarification and practical learning methods. However, for competitive exams like JEE and NEET, strong conceptual understanding, and disciplined preparation are still essential,” Kapasi says.
He notes that technology has already transformed how students consume educational content.
“Compared to a few years ago, there has been a huge shift. Students are attending online revision lectures, watching recorded classes, and using smartphones extensively for learning. Today, students feel solutions to many problems are available at their fingertips,” he notes.
Rather than resisting AI, Arihant Academy has incorporated AI-powered features into its learning ecosystem. Through its digital learning platform Arihant Edge, students can ask questions, receive explanations, and access personalised performance analysis.
“AI is definitely a supplementary tool and will remain one. It can help students understand concepts and generate additional practice questions, but it cannot replace the guidance, mentorship, and classroom environment that teachers provide,” Kapasi explains.
Publishers Don’t See AI as a Competitor
The rise of AI is also reshaping the publishing industry, particularly in the competitive exam segment.
Deepak Agarwal, Founder Director of Disha Publication, which offers exam-oriented books for UPSC, SSC, and management courses, believes the biggest change is not the decline of books but the explosion of available information.
“Students now have more content than ever before, but often struggle with clarity, focus, and direction. The problem is no longer access to information; it is knowing what to study, what to ignore, and how to prepare systematically,” he says.
According to Agarwal, students may use AI for quick explanations but they still rely on structured resources for serious exam preparation. “Students may be relying less on bulky reference books for initial concept discovery,” he observes.
He points out that accuracy becomes critical in high-stakes examinations.
“When students are preparing for exams like JEE, NEET or UPSC, accuracy becomes non-negotiable. AI tools can occasionally provide incorrect information, incomplete context, or misleading answers while sounding completely confident. That may be acceptable for casual learning, but it becomes risky when a student’s rank or career is at stake,” he explains.
Students now increasingly want are concise, structured, and syllabus-mapped resources that directly support exam outcomes.
“At Disha Publication, our JEE and NEET PYQ are built around a complete preparation framework. Our PRT (practice, revision, and tests) methodology helps students move systematically from learning concepts to effective revision and finally, to testing their preparedness. That structured journey is something AI cannot easily replicate,” he notes.
Trust is another key factor. Agarwal maintains that curated publisher content continues to enjoy strong credibility because it undergoes expert review and quality control before reaching students.
Demand for Revision Material Remains Strong
Despite the growth of AI tools, publishers say demand for previous-year question (PYQ) books, solved papers, and revision resources remains strong.
“One of the biggest misconceptions in education is that more content automatically leads to better results. In reality, students often improve not by consuming more information but by revising smarter and practising better,” Agarwal says.
He believes PYQ books have become even more valuable because they provide something AI cannot reliably recreate.
“PYQs help cut through the noise. They show what has actually been asked, what gets repeated, what the examiner values, and where students should focus their efforts,” he explains.
The Future is Hybrid
While AI is changing how students learn, experts believe it is unlikely to entirely replace books or teachers. Instead, the future may lie in combining trusted educational content with AI-powered support.
A 2025 research published in Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics argues that AI should be seen as a tool that complements human efforts rather than replaces them. The authors note that while AI can improve efficiency and speed up the delivery of learning resources, it cannot replace the human judgement, creativity, ethics, and expertise involved in content creation and education.
That sentiment is reflected in how Indian education companies are responding to the shift.
Agarwal believes the future belongs to publishers who successfully combine trusted content with intelligent technology. “AI will transform the way students interact with educational content. The future will belong to publishers who combine the credibility of books with the intelligence and convenience of AI,” he adds.
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in learning, the challenge for publishers may not be protecting traditional study methods but adapting them to meet students’ growing expectations for speed, personalisation and accessibility.
“The future is not AI versus books. The future is books becoming smarter,” he opines.
Your reaction