In today’s rapidly evolving academic landscape, artificial intelligence has moved from being a futuristic concept to an everyday classroom companion. From personalised tutoring to real-time transcription and research assistance, AI is reshaping how students learn, collaborate and prepare for future careers.
For learners in Africa and beyond, mastering these tools is no longer optional—it is essential. The following selection represents 15 of the most powerful AI platforms that every student in 2025 should know how to use, carefully compiled to reflect both global trends and tools with high relevance to African education.
1. ChatGPT (Study Mode)
OpenAI’s flagship AI assistant now includes Study Mode, which uses Socratic questioning, hints, and step-by-step guidance to help students understand concepts instead of simply providing direct answers.
2. Google Gemini (Guided Learning & Education Suite)
Gemini’s Guided Learning feature provides structured explanations, visuals, and personalised study guides. Students in eligible regions can also access the Google AI Pro Plan—offering Gemini 2.5 Pro, NotebookLM, Veo 3 and other advanced tools—free for one year.
3. Grammarly
A writing assistant that corrects grammar, spelling, tone and clarity, with premium features including style suggestions and plagiarism checks.
4. Perusall
An online platform where students collaboratively annotate and discuss texts, with AI-driven engagement scoring and integration with learning management systems.
5. Otter.ai
Provides automatic transcription of lectures, meetings and group discussions, complete with summaries and highlighted action points.
6. Scholarcy, Scite, Elicit, Perplexity (Research Tools)
These tools streamline academic research:
Scholarcy summarises and organises academic papers.
Scite tracks and analyses citations.
Elicit aids literature reviews.
Perplexity offers fast, AI-powered search.
7. QANDA (Math)
Allows students to photograph or input mathematical problems, providing step-by-step solutions using AI and OCR technology.
8. PlagiarismCheck.org & Copyleaks
AI-based tools that detect both plagiarism and AI-generated text, safeguarding academic integrity.
9. Coursebox & Capacity
Coursebox converts materials into structured courses with built-in quizzes and automated grading.
Capacity provides AI-driven student support services for schools and universities.
10. MindScratch
A multimodal, generative AI platform for teaching programming, encouraging creativity and computational thinking through visual coding.
11. Iris (Virtual Tutor for Computing)
An AI tutor that provides hints without revealing full solutions, fostering independent problem-solving for computer science learners.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.
