Renowned mathematician and Super 30 founder Anand Kumar has expressed disagreement with Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani's suggestion to use artificial intelligence (AI) at the last minute to prevent paper leaks in examinations such as the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
In a post on his official social media handle, Kumar outlined three key concerns about the proposal, highlighting the risk of creating additional barriers for underprivileged students, the availability of adequate facilities and security at remote test centres, and the possibility of errors in questions selected by AI.
Kumar stressed that preventing paper leaks is crucial but cautioned against making the entire examination system computer-based without considering the challenges faced by students in remote areas and economically disadvantaged families.
"First, preventing paper leaks is extremely important, but how appropriate would it be to make the entire examination system computer-based for this purpose? Even today, there are lakhs of talented children in remote villages and poor families across our country who do not have adequate access to computers. We must not inadvertently create a new barrier for these children in our efforts to prevent cheating," he said.
Concerns Over Test Centre Facilities
Kumar also questioned whether examination centres in remote areas would have facilities and security arrangements comparable to those in metropolitan cities.
"Second, even if a test centre is available in a remote area, will the facilities and security there be comparable to those at a test centre in a metropolitan city?" he asked.
His third concern related to the accuracy of questions selected from a large question bank. Kumar pointed out that errors are found in questions prepared for various examinations almost every year, even when the number of questions is limited.
"When a question bank containing thousands of questions is created, from which AI will select questions at the last minute, what guarantee is there that all the questions will be correct?" he said.
Anand Kumar Says He Is Not Against AI
Clarifying his position, Kumar said he was not opposed to technology or AI. Instead, he believes AI could bring revolutionary changes to education and assist experts in preparing question papers. However, he emphasised that there is a significant difference between using AI to assist experts and allowing it to make the final decision.
AI की मदद लेना NEET में कितना उचित? श्री नंदन नीलेकणि जी मेरे लिए अत्यंत आदरणीय हैं। यह मेरा सौभाग्य रहा है कि उन्होंने अपनी प्रसिद्ध पुस्तक Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation में मेरे और मेरे प्रयास सुपर 30 की प्रशंसा की है। उनके प्रति मेरे मन में हमेशा गहरा सम्मान रहा है। लेकिन हाल ही में NEET जैसी परीक्षाओं में पेपर लीक रोकने के लिए अंतिम समय में AI की मदद लेने का जो सुझाव उन्होंने दिया है, उससे मैं विनम्रतापूर्वक असहमत हूँ। मेरी असहमति के पीछे तीन महत्वपूर्ण कारण हैं। पहला, पेपर लीक रोकना बेहद जरूरी है, लेकिन इसके लिए पूरी परीक्षा व्यवस्था को कंप्यूटर आधारित बना देना कितना उचित होगा? हमारे देश के दूरदराज के गाँवों और गरीब परिवारों में आज भी लाखों ऐसे प्रतिभाशाली बच्चे हैं, जिनकी कंप्यूटर तक पर्याप्त पहुँच नहीं है। कहीं ऐसा न हो कि नकल रोकने की कोशिश में हम उन बच्चों के सामने एक नई बाधा खड़ी कर दें। दूसरा, अगर सुदूरवर्ती इलाके में कोई टेस्ट लेने के लिये सेण्टर भी होगा तब वहां क्या उपलब्ध सुविधा और सुरक्षा मेट्रो सिटी के सेण्टर जैसी होगी? तीसरा, यह बड़ी आम बात होती हैं कि विभिन्न परीक्षाओं के लिए बनाये गए सवाल में लगभग हर वर्ष गलतियाँ निकल जातीं हैं जबकि सवालों की संख्या बहुत कम होती है | अब जब हजारों सवालों का क्वेश्चन बैंक बनाया जायेगा जिससे AI लास्ट मिनिट में क्वेश्चन सलेक्ट करेगा, तब क्या गारंटी है कि सभी सवाल सही हों | मैं तकनीक या AI का विरोधी नहीं हूँ। बल्कि मेरा मानना है कि AI शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में क्रांतिकारी बदलाव ला सकता है। प्रश्नपत्र बनाने में भी यह विशेषज्ञों की सहायता कर सकता है। लेकिन सहायता करने और अंतिम निर्णय लेने में बहुत बड़ा अंतर है। पिछले कई दशकों से विद्यार्थियों के साथ काम करने और AI की संभावनाओं को समझने के अपने अनुभव के आधार पर मैं इतना जरूर कहना चाहूँगा— पेपर लीक रोकने के लिए हमें व्यवस्था की कमजोरियाँ दूर करनी चाहिए, न कि ऐसी नई व्यवस्था बना देनी चाहिए जिसमें गरीब और प्रतिभाशाली बच्चों के लिए अवसर और कठिन हो जाएँ। क्योंकि परीक्षा का असली उद्देश्य तकनीक की ताकत दिखाना नहीं, बल्कि देश के हर कोने में छिपी प्रतिभा को पहचानना है। और हमें यह कभी नहीं भूलना चाहिए कि एक गलती का नुकसान सिर्फ कुछ अंक नहीं, किसी बच्चे का पूरा सपना भी हो सकता है। #NEET #ArtificialIntelligence #EducationReform #Super30 #AnandKumar #Superinfinity
— Anand Kumar (@teacheranand) October 14, 2026
"Based on my experience of working with students for several decades and understanding the possibilities of AI, I would certainly like to say this: To prevent paper leaks, we should address the weaknesses in the existing system rather than create a new system in which opportunities become even more difficult to access for poor and talented children," he said.
Kumar added that the real purpose of an examination is not to demonstrate the power of technology but to identify talent in every corner of the country.
"We must never forget that the loss caused by a single mistake is not limited to a few marks; it can cost a child their entire dream," he said.
Anand Kumar Expresses Respect For Nandan Nilekani
Despite his disagreement, Kumar reiterated his deep respect for Nilekani, saying he felt fortunate that the Infosys co-founder had praised him and his Super 30 initiative in his book Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation.
"I have always held deep respect for him. However, I humbly disagree with his recent suggestion to use AI at the last minute to prevent paper leaks in examinations such as NEET," Kumar said.
What Did Nandan Nilekani Say About Preventing Paper Leaks?
Nilekani, who heads the high-powered task force on examination reforms, recently discussed the role of technology in preventing paper leaks at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026 in New Delhi.
He described examination paper leaks as a "solvable" problem, arguing that the authorities need to identify their root causes and use technology to address them.
"If you look at it systematically and go to root causes of why it's happening and use technology to solve it... they are solvable issues," he said.
Asked whether AI could generate an examination paper on the day of the test, Nilekani answered in the affirmative.
He also said the expert panel was considering moving all examinations to computer-based testing. Such a transition would require expanding the network of approximately 1.5 lakh centres where students can currently take computer-based tests.
Explaining how technology could help prevent paper leaks, Nilekani proposed moving away from fixed question papers and generating them at the last minute from a large question bank.
He argued that a fixed question paper creates an economic incentive for people to obtain and sell it before the examination. Generating the paper only shortly before the test, he suggested, could eliminate that incentive and reduce the scope for leaks.
