CAT 2026: AI-based facial recognition to be used for candidate verification

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore will use AI-based facial recognition technology for the first time during the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 to verify candidates' identities at examination centers. This experimental introduction will occur alongside the existing physical verification process, as announced by IIM Indore director Himanshu Rai on Wednesday.

The AI system will serve as an additional check and will not replace the existing verification method through CAT admit cards by examination officials. Rai assured that candidates would not be denied entry even if the technology fails to recognize their faces. The AI-based facial recognition technology will be tested for accuracy and potential improvements before wider deployment.

IIM Indore is organizing CAT 2026, which will be conducted on November 29 across more than 350 examination centers in approximately 170 cities. The results are expected to be declared in the first week of January 2027, leading to admissions at 22 IIMs and business schools for MBA and other management courses. Rai explained that facial recognition has become a standard feature in institutional attendance systems and was also used in online examinations during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The institute will analyze the technology's performance by comparing machine identification results with those of human officials to determine if further modifications are needed. Concerns about the privacy of candidates' facial data were addressed by Rai, who stated that the technology would not collect any new information, as the institute already has candidates' data and pictures from their application forms.

IIM Indore has integrated AI into its academic programs, offering standalone courses on the technology and its applications in management disciplines. The institute is also developing ethical guidelines for the use of generative AI in research papers.