UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Office of Principal Scientific Adviser Releases White Paper on Strengthening AI Governance Through Techno-Legal Framework

Q1. The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA), in its White Paper 'Strengthening AI Governance Through Techno-Legal Framework', articulates a techno-legal approach to AI governance. How many integrated pillars does this framework comprise?

  • A. Three
  • B. Four
  • C. Five
  • D. Seven

Q2. In the institutional architecture proposed for AI governance in India, the apex inter-ministerial AI Governance Group (AIGG) is to be chaired by which of the following functionaries?

  • A. Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
  • B. Cabinet Secretary
  • C. Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
  • D. Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog

Q3. In the context of the OPSA White Paper, the 'techno-legal' framework for AI governance is best described as which of the following?

  • A. Embedding governance into AI systems by design and by default through a combination of legal safeguards, technical controls and institutional mechanisms
  • B. Enacting a single standalone AI statute that licenses every AI model before deployment
  • C. Relying purely on voluntary industry self-regulation without any statutory baseline
  • D. Adopting the EU AI Act's ex-ante risk-classification regime as binding domestic law

Q4. With reference to the IndiaAI Mission, consider the following: 1. IndiaAI Compute Capacity 2. IndiaAI Datasets Platform 3. IndiaAI FutureSkills 4. IndiaAI Semiconductor Fabrication Pillar Which of the above is/are correctly identified as a pillar of the IndiaAI Mission?

  1. IndiaAI Compute Capacity
  2. IndiaAI Datasets Platform
  3. IndiaAI FutureSkills
  4. IndiaAI Semiconductor Fabrication Pillar
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q5. The IndiaAI Mission, approved with an outlay of about ₹10,372 crore, is operationalised by which of the following?

  • A. IndiaAI Independent Business Division under the Digital India Corporation, MeitY
  • B. NITI Aayog
  • C. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
  • D. Department of Science and Technology

Q6. The India AI Governance Guidelines, which complement the OPSA techno-legal White Paper, were released under the IndiaAI Mission by which of the following?

  • A. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
  • B. Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser
  • C. NITI Aayog
  • D. Department of Science and Technology

Q7. The India AI Governance Guidelines are grounded in seven guiding principles ('sutras'). Which one of the following is stated as the FIRST sutra?

  • A. Trust
  • B. Accountability
  • C. Fairness & Equity
  • D. People First

Q8. In the G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration (2023), which of the following was identified as the principal multilateral initiative to be leveraged for building a global framework on AI safety and trust?

  • A. Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)
  • B. OECD Network of Experts on AI
  • C. UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence
  • D. The Bletchley Declaration process

Q9. Consider the following milestones in India's AI policy evolution and the years associated with them: 1. National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (#AIForAll) — 2018 2. IndiaAI Mission (Cabinet approval) — 2024 3. India AI Governance Guidelines (MeitY) — 2025 4. OPSA White Paper 'Strengthening AI Governance Through Techno-Legal Framework' — 2024 Which of the above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (#AIForAll) — 2018
  2. IndiaAI Mission (Cabinet approval) — 2024
  3. India AI Governance Guidelines (MeitY) — 2025
  4. OPSA White Paper 'Strengthening AI Governance Through Techno-Legal Framework' — 2024
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 4 only

Q10. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 serves as a baseline legal safeguard in India's techno-legal AI governance. Consider the following statements about it: 1. It relies entirely on financial penalties and prescribes no criminal imprisonment for contraventions. 2. It establishes the Data Protection Board of India as the adjudicatory authority. 3. The highest financial penalty under the Act is ₹500 crore, prescribed for failure to notify a personal data breach. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It relies entirely on financial penalties and prescribes no criminal imprisonment for contraventions.
  2. It establishes the Data Protection Board of India as the adjudicatory authority.
  3. The highest financial penalty under the Act is ₹500 crore, prescribed for failure to notify a personal data breach.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. With reference to OPSA's White Paper Series 'Emerging Policy Priorities for India's AI Ecosystem', consider the following documents: 1. Democratising Access to AI Infrastructure 2. Strengthening AI Governance Through Techno-Legal Framework 3. India AI Governance Guidelines 4. National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (#AIForAll) Which of the above is/are correctly identified as publications in this OPSA White Paper Series?

  1. Democratising Access to AI Infrastructure
  2. Strengthening AI Governance Through Techno-Legal Framework
  3. India AI Governance Guidelines
  4. National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (#AIForAll)
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 and 4