UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — AI@Work: Driving Productivity, Jobs, and Innovation

Q1. The IndiaAI Mission, launched with an outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore, was formally approved by which one of the following authorities?

  • A. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister
  • B. The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology through an executive order
  • C. The Governing Council of NITI Aayog
  • D. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

Q2. With reference to the pillars of the IndiaAI Mission, consider the following statements: 1. The IndiaAI Startup Financing pillar is designed to provide streamlined funding access to deep-tech AI startups. 2. The Safe & Trusted AI pillar is the pillar responsible for deploying over 10,000 GPUs through public-private collaboration. 3. The IndiaAI FutureSkills pillar seeks to increase AI courses and set up Data and AI Labs in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The IndiaAI Startup Financing pillar is designed to provide streamlined funding access to deep-tech AI startups.
  2. The Safe & Trusted AI pillar is the pillar responsible for deploying over 10,000 GPUs through public-private collaboration.
  3. The IndiaAI FutureSkills pillar seeks to increase AI courses and set up Data and AI Labs in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. With reference to the components of the IndiaAI Mission, consider the following statements: 1. AIKosha is a repository that provides access exclusively to personal datasets for AI model training. 2. The IndiaAI Compute Portal offers subsidised AI compute, with eligible users receiving up to 40% subsidy on cloud compute services. 3. India's common compute capacity has since crossed 34,000 GPUs, surpassing the mission's initial target of over 10,000 GPUs. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. AIKosha is a repository that provides access exclusively to personal datasets for AI model training.
  2. The IndiaAI Compute Portal offers subsidised AI compute, with eligible users receiving up to 40% subsidy on cloud compute services.
  3. India's common compute capacity has since crossed 34,000 GPUs, surpassing the mission's initial target of over 10,000 GPUs.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. Under the IndiaAI Mission, the IndiaAI Compute Capacity pillar set an initial target of deploying at least how many Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) through public-private collaboration?

  • A. 5,000
  • B. 10,000
  • C. 25,000
  • D. 34,000

Q5. NITI Aayog's National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (2018), branded '#AIforAll', identified how many priority focus sectors for AI intervention?

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

Q6. Consider the following sectors: 1. Healthcare 2. Agriculture 3. Defence and national security 4. Smart mobility and transportation Which of the above are correctly identified as focus sectors of NITI Aayog's National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (2018)?

  1. Healthcare
  2. Agriculture
  3. Defence and national security
  4. Smart mobility and transportation
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. The 'Roadmap for Job Creation in the AI Economy' (2025) was prepared by which one of the following units of NITI Aayog?

  • A. Frontier Tech Hub
  • B. Atal Innovation Mission
  • C. Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office
  • D. Aspirational Districts Programme cell

Q8. With reference to the 'Roadmap for Job Creation in the AI Economy' (2025), consider the following: 1. It was prepared in collaboration with NASSCOM and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). 2. It projects the creation of up to 4 million new jobs in the tech services sector over five years. 3. Its central recommendation is the launch of a National AI Talent Mission. 4. It sets the target of making India the AI workforce capital of the world by 2047. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. It was prepared in collaboration with NASSCOM and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
  2. It projects the creation of up to 4 million new jobs in the tech services sector over five years.
  3. Its central recommendation is the launch of a National AI Talent Mission.
  4. It sets the target of making India the AI workforce capital of the world by 2047.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q9. In Stanford University's 2025 Global AI Vibrancy Ranking, India secured which rank?

  • A. Second
  • B. Third
  • C. Fifth
  • D. Seventh

Q10. With reference to India's standing in Stanford's 2025 Global AI Vibrancy Ranking, consider the following statements: 1. India ranked third, behind only the United States and China. 2. India's rise to third place saw it move ahead of the United Kingdom and South Korea. 3. India ranked first in the world in AI skill penetration, ahead of the United States. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India ranked third, behind only the United States and China.
  2. India's rise to third place saw it move ahead of the United Kingdom and South Korea.
  3. India ranked first in the world in AI skill penetration, ahead of the United States.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. The PIB Backgrounder 'AI@Work: Driving Productivity, Jobs, and Innovation' (2026) describes Artificial Intelligence as a 'kinetic enabler'. In this context, the term is best understood to mean that AI is:

  • A. An active force that drives and accelerates the growth of India's digital economy, investments and jobs
  • B. A technology that will entirely replace all human labour across every sector of the economy
  • C. A binding statutory regulatory framework governing all AI developers in India
  • D. A single indigenous foundation model developed exclusively by MeitY

Q12. With reference to the institutional structure of IndiaAI, consider the following statements: 1. IndiaAI is implemented as an Independent Business Division under the Digital India Corporation. 2. The Digital India Corporation is a not-for-profit company established under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. 3. IndiaAI is a statutory body created by a distinct Act of Parliament, separate from the Digital India Corporation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. IndiaAI is implemented as an Independent Business Division under the Digital India Corporation.
  2. The Digital India Corporation is a not-for-profit company established under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013.
  3. IndiaAI is a statutory body created by a distinct Act of Parliament, separate from the Digital India Corporation.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3