“Why Do We Need Question Papers?”: Nilekani Backs Last-Minute AI-Generated Exam Papers

New Delhi, 15th October 2026: Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys and chairman of the Union government’s high-powered task force on examination reforms, has proposed generating question papers at the last minute using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reduce the risk of examination paper leaks.

Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026 in New Delhi on Tuesday, 13th October, Nilekani suggested creating a large question bank from which papers could be generated shortly before an examination, instead of preparing and storing fixed question papers in advance.

“The issue that led to this committee is that of question paper leaks. Why do we need to have something called ‘a question paper’? Because that creates an economic incentive for it to be sold,” Nilekani said.

“One way to look at how to solve it is to have a massive bank of questions, and only at the last minute generate the question paper for the day,” he added.

When asked whether AI could be used to generate question papers on the day of an examination, Nilekani responded in the affirmative. He also said the proposed approach would be feasible only if examinations were conducted in computer-based test (CBT) mode.

Nilekani further called for expanding the country’s computer-based testing infrastructure to accommodate students taking examinations across India. The existing network has approximately 1.5 lakh locations where such tests can be conducted.

However, the proposal leaves questions about how the question bank itself would be secured against unauthorised access and whether the system could prevent leaks before the final paper is generated.

The Union government constituted the six-member task force in July following widespread protests over examination irregularities, including the NEET-UG paper leak. The committee is examining technology-driven measures to strengthen examination security and address systemic weaknesses in the existing process.

Nilekani said the problems surrounding examination paper leaks were solvable through a systematic approach that addresses their root causes. He also indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen to implement the committee’s recommendations.

The proposed changes are aimed at reducing opportunities for question papers to be obtained and sold before examinations. Their implementation, however, would depend on the task force’s recommendations and the expansion of the infrastructure required to conduct computer-based examinations nationwide.