The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) have co-invested 20 million baht to launch the home-grown "ABDUL Uni" artificial intelligence (AI)-based higher education platform, which serves as a teaching assistant to support personalised learning for students.
It aims to improve educational quality, reduce inequality, and produce a highly skilled workforce to support the digital economy.
"The ministry gives top priority to AI capacity development across workforce development, research and ethical application," said Supachai Pathumnakul, MHESI permanent secretary.
He said the ultimate goal is not just for students to learn how to use AI, but to use it responsibly, critically, and creatively add value to the country.
This year, MHESI expects a systemic shift in classroom instruction, curriculum development and data management.
"In order to prepare students for an AI-driven world, development must start with training professors first," said Mr Supachai.
He cited insights from an MIT expert that teaching standalone theoretical classes on AI is ineffective. Instead, the focus should be on enabling students to complete practical AI projects within the existing curriculum, whether in science or the arts.
"Training instructors to design these AI-integrated courses will help elevate the quality of Thai higher education," said Mr Supachai.
NSTDA president Sukit Limpijumnong said generative AI is redefining the role of the education sector, shifting the focus from information access to personalised learning.
In response, the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center's (Nectec) AI Research Group developed the ABDUL Uni platform as a central educational tool for Thai universities.
"ABDUL Uni is a homegrown platform developed by Thai researchers at Nectec-NSTDA. It allows instructors to design custom 'AI Tutors' tailored to specific course subjects, monitor individual student progress, and handle end-to-end classroom management from assigning work to grading," Mr Sukit said.
Apart from reducing administrative burdens for teachers, it promotes active learning.
The AI acts as a thinking assistant, not a tool that thinks for the students, he noted.
Mr Sukit said the development cost of 20 million baht is relatively low.
The platform will be piloted at 20 universities nationwide before expanding to 150 universities, reaching between 1-2 million students early next year.
The wider nationwide expansion to all schools will require more funding, Mr Sukit said.
Chai Wutiwiwatchai, executive director of Nectec and the project leader, said the 2026 project represents a major leap from the awareness-raising campaigns of 2025.
Previous results show instructors across various disciplines -- including social sciences, humanities, business administration, health sciences and education -- could effectively integrate AI into their teaching, proving that its use is not limited to computer science, said Mr Chai.
This milestone allows Thai universities to scale up AI usage under good governance, supported by AI usage quotas from the MHESI permanent secretary, he said.
In addition, technical teams will be established within educational institutions. Close cooperation from the executives of the 20 pilot universities will be vital in proving that AI can sustainably elevate Thai higher education for the future, Mr Chai said.
The outcomes from the 20 pilot universities will be used as a blueprint to distribute knowledge and expand usage of ABDUL Uni to higher education institutions nationwide, he noted.
