UPSC Pilots AI-Enabled Facial Authentication For Faster, Safer Exams

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has begun testing facial recognition technology to speed up the process of verifying candidates at its examinations.

In a pilot run during the National Defence Academy & Naval Academy (NDA & NA) II and Combined Defence Services (CDS) II exams on 14 September, the Commission used AI-enabled facial authentication at select centers in Gurugram.

The system matched candidates’ faces against photographs submitted in registration forms, reducing verification time to eight to ten seconds per person, according to a UPSC statement.

About 1,129 candidates participated in the trial, with more than 2,700 scans completed across multiple sessions.

According to the UPSC, the process not only streamlined entry but also added an "extra layer of security" to exams that face persistent challenges of impersonation and malpractice.

The pilot, undertaken in collaboration with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), seeks to strengthen the integrity of the examination process and enhance the ease of entry for candidates at examination centres, the Commission said.

“The Commission is committed to adopting cutting-edge technology to uphold the highest standards of fairness and transparency,” UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar said in the statement.

"This pilot with AI-based facial recognition is a significant step in our endeavour towards, smarter, secure and efficient exam process. While UPSC is committed, to modernise its practices, the utmost care has been given for safeguarding the integrity of our processes," Kumar added.

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