Digital Support for the Adaptation of Young Teachers: Development and Testing of an AI Assistant on the Telegram Platform (Using Tomsk Secondary School No. 53 as an Example)

The article addresses the pressing issue of digital support for early-career teachers' adaptation, exacerbated by the shortage of young professionals and the aging teaching workforce in the Russian education system. It presents the results of a research project focused on developing and testing an AI assistant on the Telegram platform, implemented at Secondary School No. 53 in Tomsk. The study's methodological framework incorporates the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) approach to identify key teacher needs, alongside the concepts of AI Readiness and technological sovereignty. The practical implementation utilized the no-code platform «SberStudio» integrated with the domestic language model GigaChat, enabling the creation of a functional chatbot for operational teacher support. Pilot testing involving 8 teachers confirmed the tool's high demand and effectiveness: 85% of respondents used the bot more than twice a week. The most requested features were an FAQ on school procedures (45% of queries) and receiving AI-generated advice for parent interactions (30%). Qualitative analysis of feedback revealed a 78% user satisfaction rate and identified requests for expanded functionality, including lesson planning and templates for working with students with disabilities. The results demonstrate that the AI assistant effectively complements traditional mentoring by alleviating routine tasks and reducing emotional burnout among educators. The conclusion emphasizes the feasibility of replicating this model in other educational institutions within the region, provided there is administrative support and the formation of interdisciplinary teams. Future research prospects include studying the long-term effects of AI assistant usage and its impact on teachers' professional development.