For decades, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has wrestled with the same challenge: how to ensure that the millions of candidates sitting for its fiercely competitive examinations are who they claim to be. On September 14, that effort entered a new technological era.
A Pilot in the Exam Trenches
During the National Defence Academy (NDA/NA II) and Combined Defence Services (CDS II) examinations this month, the UPSC piloted an artificial intelligence–driven facial authentication system. At a handful of centres in Gurugram, candidates were asked to scan their faces. Within 8 to 10 seconds, their live images were matched against photographs submitted during registration.
Officials said the trial, conducted in collaboration with the National e-Governance Division, verified over 1,100 candidates across multiple sessions. More than 2,700 scans were completed, dramatically reducing bottlenecks at exam hall entrances where, in the past, manual ID checks could stretch lines and delay starts.
Promise and Peril of Speed
For the UPSC, which oversees some of the world’s most competitive examinations — gateways to India’s civil services, defence forces, and administrative cadres — efficiency is not a luxury. “The pilot demonstrated significant time savings,” said UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar. He indicated that once standard operating procedures are finalized, the system could extend to all future examinations, including the prestigious Civil Services Examination.
But the adoption of biometric verification raises concerns that go beyond logistics. The trial relied on internet connectivity at centres, a variable infrastructure in many parts of the country. Questions also linger about accuracy in large-scale deployment, and the privacy implications of storing biometric data in one of the world’s largest exam systems.
A Race Against Impersonation
Cheating scandals and impersonation have long haunted India’s exam culture, threatening both fairness and credibility. By deploying AI-powered tools, the UPSC hopes to build public confidence in its processes while also staying ahead of increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts.
Yet critics caution against haste. “Technology can solve one problem and create another,” a digital rights researcher noted, pointing to risks of false positives, data misuse, and lack of transparency in algorithmic decisions.
Charting the Next Phase
The UPSC is preparing detailed protocols to address these challenges before a broader rollout. Officials are studying how to guarantee internet stability, train personnel, and protect personal data.
The pilot may have lasted a single day, but for India’s exam system — which tests over 10 million aspirants annually — it marks a pivotal experiment. Whether AI-enabled authentication becomes routine will depend on how the commission balances efficiency, fairness, and rights in one of the most closely watched testing regimes in the world.
