GS Paper IV — Q8
Ravi is a senior police officer with vast experience in riot control and cyber-policing. Since one year, he has been the…
Ravi is a senior police officer with vast experience in riot control and cyber-policing. Since one year, he has been the Superintendent of Police (SP) of a district with a history of frequent rioting.
Last year, Ravi had sought installation of an AI enabled software for predictive policing. This system has been operational for approximately six months. This new system employs advanced algorithms for capturing the biometric data of persons in a crowd and swiftly relating it to a data library. This has enabled the police to identify the persons involved in various crimes.
The system has identified an immigrant and low-income neighbourhood as a centre for gang violence and drug trafficking. Aided by this AI analysis, the local police has focused its patrolling, preventive detentions and establishing checkposts. Consequently, public order and law enforcement has visibly improved.
Last week, some community leaders, civil rights lawyers and human rights activists visited Ravi's office. They submitted a memorandum that the new system is faulty as it is based on incorrect historical data caused by social biases and discriminatory policing. The memorandum also alleges that the increased surveillance has created a climate of tension amongst residents. This feeling is aggravated by the fact that the residents are not aware of the data noted against their names.
What are the ethical issues including biases involved in the use of AI in data-driven policing?
Place yourself in Ravi's role and discuss the alternatives available. Justify the action that optimises compliance with ethics. (Answer in 250 words) 20 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
रवि एक वरिष्ठ पुलिस अधिकारी हैं जिन्हें दंगा नियंत्रण और साइबर–पुलिसिंग में व्यापक अनुभव है। पिछले एक वर्ष से वे एक ऐसे जिले के पुलिस अधीक्षक (एसपी) हैं जहां अक्सर दंगे होते रहते हैं।
पिछले साल रवि ने भविष्यसूचक पुलिसिंग के लिए एआई–सक्षम सॉफ्टवेयर स्थापित करने का अनुरोध किया था। यह प्रणाली लगभग छह महीने से कार्यरत है। यह नई प्रणाली भीड़ में मौजूद व्यक्तियों के बायोमेट्रिक डेटा को कैप्चर करने और उसे डेटा लाइब्रेरी से तुरंत जोड़ने के लिए उन्नत एल्गोरिदम का उपयोग करती है। इससे पुलिस को विभिन्न अपराधों में शामिल व्यक्तियों की पहचान करने में मदद मिली है।
इस प्रणाली ने अप्रवासियों और कम आय वाले एक इलाके को गिरोह हिंसा और मादक पदार्थों की तस्करी का केंद्र बताया है। एआई विश्लेषण की सहायता से स्थानीय पुलिस ने गश्त, निवारक निरोध और चौकियों की स्थापना पर ध्यान केंद्रित किया है। परिणामस्वरूप, सार्वजनिक व्यवस्था और कानून प्रवर्तन में स्पष्ट रूप से सुधार हुआ है।
पिछले सप्ताह, कुछ सामुदायिक नेताओं, नागरिक अधिकार वकीलों और मानवाधिकार कार्यकर्ताओं ने रवि के कार्यालय का दौरा किया। उन्होंने एक ज्ञापन सौंपा जिसमें कहा गया कि नई प्रणाली दोषपूर्ण है क्योंकि यह सामाजिक पूर्वाग्रहों और भेदभावपूर्ण पुलिसिंग के कारण गलत ऐतिहासिक आंकड़ों पर आधारित है। ज्ञापन में यह भी आरोप लगाया गया है कि बढ़ी हुई निगरानी ने निवासियों के बीच तनाव का माहौल पैदा कर दिया है। यह भावना इस तथ्य से और भी बढ़ जाती है कि निवासियों को उनके नाम के साथ दर्ज किए गए आंकड़ों की जानकारी नहीं है।
डेटा–आधारित पुलिसिंग में एआई के उपयोग में पूर्वाग्रहों सहित कौन–कौन से नैतिक मुद्दे शामिल हैं?
स्वयं को रवि की स्थिति में रखकर उपलब्ध विकल्पों पर चर्चा कीजिए। नैतिकता के अनुरूप सर्वोत्तम कार्रवाई का औचित्य सिद्ध कीजिए। (उत्तर 250 शब्दों में दीजिए)
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 250-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
Ethical Issues and Biases in AI-Driven Policing
Historical bias: Algorithms trained on past, discriminatory policing data reproduce those prejudices ("garbage in, garbage out"), profiling immigrant and low-income residents.
Privacy and due process: Capturing crowd biometrics without consent violates informational privacy (K.S. Puttaswamy) and exceeds the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022, which covers convicts, arrested persons and detainees. Residents cannot see or contest data held against them.
Feedback loops: Over-patrolling flagged areas records more minor offences, falsely validating the algorithm and alienating the community.
Automation bias: Officers over-trust outputs, and responsibility for errors blurs between vendor and police.
Alternatives for Ravi
Option 1: Continue unchanged. Merit: sustains deterrence and order. Demerit: institutionalises discrimination; legally vulnerable.
Option 2: Suspend the tool. Merit: immediately protects civil liberties. Demerit: enforcement vacuum in a riot-prone district.
Option 3: Continue with safeguards (recommended). Merit: balances security with rights. Demerit: some delay and cost.
Justification
Accountability, openness and proportionality favour Option 3. Ravi should:
- Commission an independent bias audit and correct skewed data.
- Keep a human in the loop, treating AI outputs only as leads, barring detentions based on them alone, and reviewing detentions already made.
- Set up a community liaison and grievance mechanism so residents can access and contest their records.
Technology should aid fair policing, not replace constitutional judgment.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS4 Ethical Dilemma & Case Study Framework
What earns full marks: Identifies specific biases (e.g., racial profiling) and proposes a nuanced, multi-step solution balancing security and rights.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- (a) Identify the ethical issues, including biases, involved in using AI for data-driven policing.
highlight— name the salient points → one line of substance each → close
Must cover
- Algorithmic bias from discriminatory historical data
- Privacy violation via biometric surveillance
- Profiling of marginalized/immigrant communities
- Lack of transparency and informed consent
Loses marks
- Generic listing of values without context
- Ignoring the specific 'immigrant' bias mentioned
- Focusing only on technical errors, not ethics
Earns more
- Erosion of public trust and social cohesion
- Automation bias: officers over-trusting outputs; accountability gap when the tool errs
- Creation of a 'chilling effect' on civil liberties
Extra mark
- Reference to the 'black box' problem or feedback loops in predictive policing
- Mention of the DPDP Act, 2023 or the limits of the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022
- (b) In Ravi's role, discuss the alternatives available with merits and demerits, and justify the action that best complies with ethics. · 250 words
justify— claim → 3-4 reasons → evidence → conclusion
Must cover
- Lay out at least three alternatives with merits and demerits
- Immediate independent audit of the AI system's data and outputs
- Engagement with community leaders and transparency on data held against residents
- Justification of the chosen path balancing public safety with civil liberties
Loses marks
- Choosing to shut down the system without analysis
- Ignoring the community's grievances
- Preaching values instead of reasoning through options
Earns more
- Suggesting human-in-the-loop verification
- Proposing a phased approach or moratorium
- Addressing the 'tension' via dialogue
Extra mark
- Reference to 'Proportionality' principle
- Mention of 'Due Process' safeguards
What "Discuss" is asking you to do
Lay the issue out from more than one side — how it arose, what is claimed for it, what is held against it, and where it now stands. UPSC attaches discuss to broad topics with several live dimensions, so coverage of the dimensions earns more than the strength of your opinion.
Structure that answers it
Set the issue up → the case as it is made → the case against → the dimension both sides leave out → where the balance now lies
Where marks are lost
Listing facts with no thread between them, or arguing one side throughout and calling it a discussion.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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