NET row: AI used recklessly to draft questions, say experts

Experts have criticized the National Testing Agency (NTA) for recklessly utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in drafting and translating examination papers, leading to errors and a series of cancelled tests. The controversy has prompted NTA to reschedule English, commerce, and sociology exams. However, NTA maintains that AI was not used to create the disputed papers, asserting that a human review was conducted after the papers were set.

Subject experts and NTA insiders, speaking on condition of anonymity, claim extensive AI usage in question setting and translation, particularly in NEET-UG papers. The scale and nature of the errors are attributed to insufficient human oversight. The controversy has brought to light the extent of NTA's integration of AI into examination material preparation, especially in translation.

Former NTA subject experts attest that AI played a role in both question setting and translation. The agency's reliance on technology does not automatically imply AI caused the errors in the cancelled exams. Candidates have expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the sociology exam, citing misspelled scholar names, incorrect terminology, garbled translations, and questions that deviated significantly from the prescribed syllabus.

Concerns have also been raised over repeated questions in the English and commerce papers, allegedly sourced from previous UGC-NET exams, indicating potential lack of oversight. The central issue now is not just the occurrence of mistakes but the role of AI in the examination process and the adequacy of human review. The controversy underscores the need to assess whether automation has replaced academic judgment and accountability, especially in a high-stakes exam determining eligibility for academic and research careers.