CHENNAI: To address India’s alarming road fatality numbers, estimated at nearly 1.7 lakh deaths annually, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has launched ‘ThinnAI’, a personalised AI-enabled driver training platform aimed at strengthening pre-licensing education and improving driver readiness.
Developed by IIT Madras’s Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS), the platform was introduced at the ‘AI for Road Safety’ session during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held in New Delhi on Monday.
Unlike conventional systems that rely on rote learning, ThinnAI uses adaptive, multi-level assessments resembling interactive video modules to evaluate aspiring drivers’ knowledge of traffic rules, road signs and motor vehicles, along with cognitive skills and physical readiness.
It functions without human intervention and is designed to prepare first-time drivers even before they obtain a learner’s licence.
Venkatesh Balasubramanian, head, CoERS, said the initiative addresses a critical gap in driver education, and added: “Behavioural discipline forms with habit.
When habit is shaped through controlled learning, outcomes improve. Driving has to be learned, and the process must become a responsible habit.”
He opined that safe driving demands higher-order cognitive abilities such as risk perception, situational awareness and sound judgement.
“ThinnAI builds awareness and responsibility, not just the ability to pass a test. By combining behavioural science, adaptive learning and AI, we aim to develop responsible road users,” he said.
The summit also saw the unveiling of ‘RATH’, an AI-enabled data-driven governance platform for road safety stakeholders and citizens, and the launch of the Road Safety Hackathon 2026 targeting students across the Global South. Pankaj Agarwal, chief engineer, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), stated, “Driving and road safety as a life skill should be part of school and college curricula.
ThinnAI can prepare young minds before they enter the roads. Initiatives like Data-Driven Hyperlocal Interventions and Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication systems aim to strengthen behavioural feedback and crash prevention.”