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General Studies 2023 GS Paper III 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Explain

GS Paper III — Q5

Introduce the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How does AI help clinical diagnosis? Do you perceive any threat to privacy…

Introduce the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How does AI help clinical diagnosis? Do you perceive any threat to privacy of the individual in the use of AI in healthcare? (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

कृत्रिम बुद्धि (ए० आई०) की अवधारणा का परिचय दीजिए। ए० आई० क्लिनिकल निदान में कैसे मदद करता है? क्या आप स्वास्थ्य सेवा में ए० आई० के उपयोग में व्यक्ति की निजता को कोई खतरा महसूस करते हैं? (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

Q5 of the 2023 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper III, as printed
The question as printed in the 2023 General Studies paper
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Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to computational systems that simulate human cognitive functions by utilizing machine learning algorithms and advanced pattern recognition to process complex datasets.

Role in Clinical Diagnosis AI transforms diagnostics by evaluating medical imaging (X-rays, CT scans) to detect early-stage pathologies, running predictive analytics on patient vitals to forecast disease trajectories, expediting drug discovery, and tailoring personalized treatment regimens. In India, NITI Aayog’s National Strategy for AI promotes such interventions, demonstrated by tools like Qure.ai for automated pulmonary TB screening from chest radiographs, aligned with ICMR’s ethical guidelines for biomedical AI.

Privacy Threats and Safeguards However, healthcare AI poses severe individual privacy risks. Massive health data aggregation increases vulnerabilities to data breaches, commercial exploitation of health records, and re-identification of anonymised patient data without explicit informed consent. Furthermore, algorithmic bias can entrench diagnostic disparities. Mitigating these threats requires strict adherence to the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, IT Rules 2011, and proposed DISHA frameworks to enforce data minimization and encryption.

Harnessing AI’s transformative diagnostic potential thus demands robust statutory safeguards to guarantee patient confidentiality and ethical deployment.

What "Explain" is asking you to do

Make the working of something clear — what sets it off, what follows from what, and what it produces. Explain is the Commission's mechanism word: it dominates the technical papers and the “explain why” stems, where the marks sit in the causal chain and not in the label.

Structure that answers it

State what it is → the initiating condition → the chain of cause, step by step → an instance where it plays out → what the chain produces

Where marks are lost

Describing what something looks like instead of why it works that way. Naming the stages without linking them reads as description too.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS3 Technology: why it matters, use, benefit, risk, policy. explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Clear definition, specific diagnostic examples, nuanced privacy analysis, within word limit.

Key points expected

  • Define AI conceptually (e.g., machine learning, pattern recognition).
  • Explain specific AI applications in clinical diagnosis (e.g., image analysis, predictive models).
  • Identify specific privacy threats (e.g., data breaches, surveillance, algorithmic bias).
  • Provide a balanced assessment of the privacy risk.

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Define AI, explain its role in clinical diagnosis, and assess privacy threats in healthcare. 10 marks · 150 words

    explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close

    Must cover

    • Define AI conceptually (e.g., machine learning, pattern recognition).
    • Explain specific AI applications in clinical diagnosis (e.g., image analysis, predictive models).
    • Identify specific privacy threats (e.g., data breaches, surveillance, algorithmic bias).
    • Provide a balanced assessment of the privacy risk.

    Loses marks

    • Vague definition of AI without technical context.
    • Ignoring the privacy aspect or treating it as trivial.
    • Exceeding the 150-word limit significantly.

    Earns more

    • Mention specific technologies (e.g., NLP, computer vision).
    • Reference data protection laws (e.g., DPDP Act, HIPAA).
    • Discuss the trade-off between data utility and privacy.

    Extra mark

    • Cite a specific AI diagnostic tool or study.
    • Mention a specific data breach incident in healthcare.

Practice this exact question

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