UPSC To Soon Mandate AI-Based Face Authentication At Exam Centres After Successful Pilot

By Surabhi Gupta

New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced that all candidates appearing for examinations conducted by it will now be required to undergo face authentication at the test centres.

The decision, made public through an update on the UPSC website on January 9 follows the successful completion of a pilot programme that tested AI-enabled facial authentication technology during select examinations conducted by the Commission in September last year.

The pilot programme was conducted during the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy (NDA & NA) II Examination, 2025, and the Combined Defence Services (CDS) II Examination, 2025, held on September 14, 2025. Undertaken in collaboration with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), the initiative was aimed at assessing whether artificial intelligence–based facial recognition could provide a faster, more secure, and more reliable method of candidate verification at exam centres.

According to UPSC, the pilot programme was rolled out at select examination centres in Gurugram, Haryana. At the centres, candidates’ facial images captured on-site were digitally matched with the photographs they had submitted during the online registration process.

Encouraging results emerged from the Commission's reports about a new verification system that allowed candidates to be verified in an average of eight to 10 seconds. The new method expedited the process of verifying candidates' identity while providing a high level of protection against both impersonation and fraud.

The pilot tests included 2,700 successful facial scans for 1,129 candidates during different test sessions. Officials on site claimed the overall process was smooth and seamless with very little disruption for candidates or invigilators.

Dr Ajay Kumar, Chairman of UPSC, said the pilot project reflected the Commission’s commitment to modernising its processes without compromising on fairness and transparency. “The Commission is committed to adopting cutting-edge technology to uphold the highest standards of fairness and transparency. This pilot with AI-based facial recognition is a significant step in our endeavour towards smarter, secure and efficient exam process,” he said.

Dr. Kumar stressed that while UPSC is moving towards greater use of technology, “utmost care has been taken for safeguarding the integrity of our processes.” He later took to social media to share his assessment of the pilot. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he said that UPSC had “successfully conducted trial face-authentication at select centres in Gurgaon,” adding that the process was “smooth and seamless” and represented a step towards smarter and more secure examinations. He also praised the efforts of the UPSC and NeGD teams involved in executing the project.

The decision to make face authentication mandatory for future examinations comes at a time when examination bodies across the country are under intense scrutiny over allegations of cheating, impersonation, and procedural lapses. UPSC, which is over a century old, conducts 14 major examinations every year along with several recruitment tests and interviews. The examinations are held at around 3,000 venues across 180 centres nationwide, with a total candidature that can go up to 12 lakh aspirants annually. Ensuring the authenticity of candidates at such scale has long been a logistical and administrative challenge.

As early as July, 2025, UPSC sought bids from public sector undertakings for the implementation of biometric technology to assist with the verification process. The scope of works included matching and cross-matching processed biometric details with records to prevent candidates from cheating, manipulating the verification process or presenting someone else's biometrics as their own.

Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication/digital capturing and facial recognition technology would be included in the implementation for ALL UPSC examinations, as well as QR codes on e-Admit cards. The success of the AI facial recognition pilot is most likely a byproduct of this larger initiative.

The Commission’s move also needs to be seen against the backdrop of recent controversies that have raised questions about the robustness of examination systems in India. As time goes on, many people around the world are losing faith and trust in competitive testing. In recent years, numerous scandals involving the National Testing Agency (NTA) have rocked that trust.

Earlier this year, many students who had appeared for the NEET felt that NTA could not safely conduct the exam. They were unhappy because of the controversies surrounding the exam including allegations of leakage of test papers and other irregularities.

In addition to the NEET scandal, UPSC also faced embarrassment when an IAS probationer, Puja Khedkar, was discovered to have submitted forged identity and disability documents in order to qualify for an additional attempt at the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022.

Even though the service allocation for successful CSE candidates is done by the DoPT, an investigation into Khedkar's actions led to UPSC filing a criminal case against her for providing "false information" to receive an unfair advantage in the examination.

The recent scandals have prompted UPSC to create new rules and procedures to protect the integrity of the Civil Services Examination process and to ensure that no one has an unfair advantage when taking the examination. Starting with the 2024 Civil Services Examination, the UPSC will now require candidates to submit an electronic copy (PDF format) of their educational and caste certificates, as well as a physical disability certificate, at the preliminary examination stage.

Candidates will no longer be able to upload copies of their documents during the Mains examination. The purpose of the policy change is to allow earlier verifications and decrease any opportunity for errors in representation, up until this point, in the exam process.

The introduction of mandatory face authentication at examination centres is being seen as another layer in the multi-pronged effort to restore and strengthen trust in the examination system. By leveraging AI and digital governance tools, UPSC hopes to deter impersonation, reduce manual errors, and make the entry process more efficient for genuine candidates.

However, the rollout will also be closely watched for issues related to data privacy, system accuracy, and on-ground implementation at scale, especially in remote and high-volume centres. UPSC has not yet detailed the exact timeline or phases for nationwide deployment, but the January 9 update makes it clear that face authentication will now be a standard requirement for candidates appearing in its examinations.

Also Read

Unprecedented Deadlock Over West Bengal DGP Appointment: UPSC Returns State Panel, Asks Govt to Approach SC