This is the classic 'Possibility Framework' question. It does not rely on a single book but on understanding the fundamental nature of AI: Optimization (Statement 1, 5), Generation (Statement 2, 4), and Pattern Recognition (Statement 3). If the tech involves data processing or system control, the answer is 'Yes'.
How this question is built
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements.
Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
Statement 1
As of 2020, can artificial intelligence effectively reduce electricity consumption in industrial units?
Origin: Weak / unclear
Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 8: Energy Resources > ENERGY CRISIS > p. 30
Strength: 4/5
“With the rapid growth of population and increase in the per capita income, there is an increasing demand for energy, especially that of conventional sources of energy. The consumption of energy in the country is increasing at the rate of more than 12% per annum. In the absence of energy, there are frequent power failures, load-shedding, closure of factories, etc., resulting in a decrease in industrial and agricultural production. In comparison to the developed countries, the per head consumption of electricity in the country is very low. For example, the per capita consumption of electricity in India is 350 kWh as against the world average of 1000 kWh and 7000 kWh in the U.S.A.”
Why relevant
Notes rapid growth in energy demand and that power failures/load-shedding hurt industrial production, implying large industrial sensitivity to energy use and potential gains from demand reduction.
How to extend
A student could infer that targeting industrial energy use (e.g., via AI-driven load management) would meaningfully affect reliability and output, so they should look for AI case studies in load-shedding reduction.
Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: Electricity: Magnetic and Heating Effects > Ever heard of ... > p. 54
Strength: 5/5
“Beyond household use, heating effect of electric current has several industrial applications. One notable example is in steel manufacturing industries, where a specially designed high-temperature furnace (an enclosed space built to generateheat) uses electric current to produce heat. This is used to melt and recycle scrap steel, converting it into usable steel.
54
Curiosity — Textbook of Science for Grade 8”
Why relevant
Describes heavy industrial uses of electricity (high-temperature electric furnaces in steelmaking), identifying specific, high-consumption processes that could be optimized.
How to extend
A student could reason that AI applied to process control or predictive maintenance in such electric-heating processes might cut consumption and then search for measured savings in those applications.
Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 27: Fuel and Power > World production and distribution of electricity. > p. 274
Strength: 4/5
“Over two-thirds of the world's electricity supply comes from thermal plants, mainly from the industrial areas. Fig. 27 .I1, shows the world production of hydro-electric power. The United States alone accounts for 3l%o of the world's annual electricity output, followed by the U.S.S.R., the United Kingdom, East and West Germany, France and Japan (Fig. 27.r2).
As for hydro-electric power, it makes up only about a third of the world's electricity supply. The”
Why relevant
States over two-thirds of the world's electricity supply comes from thermal plants mainly from industrial areas, indicating industry is a major electricity consumer globally.
How to extend
Knowing industry is a dominant load, a student could estimate potential system-level impact if AI reduced industrial consumption by a plausible percent and compare that to national/sector energy figures.
Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Daylight Saving in Temperate Regions > p. 254
Strength: 3/5
“Reduces evening use of incandescent lighting, which was formerly a primary use of electricity.• Disadvantages: DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel and sleep patterns.”
Why relevant
Gives an example (daylight saving) of a policy change that reduces electricity use for lighting, showing that operational or scheduling changes can lower demand.
How to extend
By analogy, a student can consider AI as an operational/scheduling tool (e.g., shifting loads, optimizing lighting/heating schedules) and seek evidence of similar demand reductions from AI interventions.
Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 8: Energy Resources > Governmental Initiatives: Power Sector > p. 24
Strength: 3/5
“decrease the power consumption.”
Why relevant
Mentions governmental initiatives aiming to 'decrease the power consumption', implying organized interventions can change consumption patterns.
How to extend
A student could view AI as one type of intervention governments or firms might deploy and then investigate whether policy-driven or tech-driven programs (including AI) reported consumption decreases.
Statement 2
As of 2020, can artificial intelligence generate meaningful short stories and songs?
Origin: Weak / unclear
Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 7: Indian Economy after 2014 > Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0): Present > p. 232
Strength: 4/5
“With rapid development in the fields of information technology and hardware, the world is about to witness a fourth industrial revolution i.e., Industry 4.0, which is rooted in a new technological phenomenon - digitalization. This digitalization enables us to build a new virtual world from which we can steer the physical world. While Industry 3.0 focussed on the automation of single machines and processes, Industry 4.0 concentrates on the end-to-end digitisation of all physical assets and their integration into digital ecosystems with value chain partners. Driven by the power of big data, high computing capacity, artificial intelligence and analytics, Industry 4.0 aims to completely digitise the manufacturing sector.”
Why relevant
Describes Industry 4.0 as driven by 'big data, high computing capacity, artificial intelligence and analytics' enabling creation of new virtual/digital worlds.
How to extend
A student could combine this with the basic fact that language and media live in the digital domain to infer AI systems might be capable of producing creative digital artifacts (text/music) by 2020 and then look for demonstrations from that period.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 357
Strength: 4/5
“• Artificial Intelligence can be used with historic weather data to predict the best time for sowing of seeds. With the help of historic data from the farms, AI can predict other stages of the farming process such as when to irrigate the field and apply fertilizers etc. to get the maximum yield with least input cost.• Farmers are also using AI to create seasonal forecasting models to improve agricultural accuracy and increase productivity. These models are able to predict upcoming weather patterns months ahead to assist decisions of farmers.• IoT-led devices with remote sensors can be placed at farms to record crop, soil, humidity, and weather conditions in real-time and the data collected by the device is harnessed using AI and ML to generate farm-specific, crop-specific, and crop-stage-”
Why relevant
Shows AI applied to complex, context‑dependent tasks (weather, seasonal forecasting, decision timing) using historic and farm-specific data.
How to extend
One could generalize that if AI handles complex patterning and context in data, similar patterning could be applied to language sequences to produce narratives or lyrical sequences, prompting a check of textual generation examples up to 2020.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 358
Strength: 4/5
“Farmers and agricultural technology workers are turning to AI to help analyze data points, thus enhancing the value derived from these data sources.• With the implementation of AI, farmers can analyze weather conditions, temperature, water usage and soil conditions collected from their farm to make informed decisions on business choices like determining the most feasible crop choices that year or which hybrid seeds decreased waste. Big data analysis also determines optimized irrigation, helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and pinpoints the exact soil, light, food and water requirements necessary for propagation.• Blue River Technology is working with Facebook AI and machine learning to create camera-enabled machines that use image recognition technology to label weeds at point of contact and immediately remove or spray them.• Microsoft has developed an AI-sowing app for farmers in India.”
Why relevant
Details AI use in analysing varied data (weather, soil, images) and mentions image recognition collaborations—evidence AI systems can model unstructured inputs and produce actionable outputs.
How to extend
A student could extend this rule to note that modelling unstructured inputs (images, time series) is akin to modelling unstructured language, suggesting feasibility of AI generating coherent text or melodies and then verify by seeking contemporaneous generative AI work.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > X Krishi Megh > p. 332
Strength: 3/5
“Krishi Megh is the data recovery centre of ICAR. It has been built to mitigate the risk and enhance the quality, availability and accessibility of e-governance, research, extension and education in the field of agriculture in India. It is equipped with the latest technologies like artificial intelligence and deep learning software for building and deploying deep learning-based applications through image analysis, disease identification in livestock, etc.”
Why relevant
Specifically cites deep learning and deploying deep learning-based applications for image analysis and disease identification.
How to extend
From this, one could infer deep learning architectures were in practical use and could be repurposed for sequence generation (text/music), so the student might search for deep learning-based text/music generation examples by 2020.
Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 1: The Ever-Evolving World of Science > The Ever-Evolving World of Science 1 > p. 6
Strength: 3/5
“Well, it could range from "How do we ensure getting equal shares of cake?" to "My essay is too long", or "I can't fi t this in the envelope" or even "I cannot dance to such a long song"... all very diff erent! So, let's see what kind of creative questions you can ask! (Please ask a more interesting, and not obvious questions like "What is 32+10?", or even "What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?")”
Why relevant
Encourages asking creative and varied questions and mentions songs/essays as creative forms, highlighting creativity as a definable task.
How to extend
A student could combine the idea that creativity can be framed as a task with the above evidence of AI handling complex tasks to hypothesize AI could be asked to produce creative outputs and then check whether AI produced meaningful stories/songs by 2020.
Statement 3
As of 2020, can artificial intelligence effectively perform disease diagnosis?
Origin: Direct from books
Fairness: Straightforward
Book-answerable
From standard books
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > X Krishi Megh > p. 332
Presence: 4/5
“Krishi Megh is the data recovery centre of ICAR. It has been built to mitigate the risk and enhance the quality, availability and accessibility of e-governance, research, extension and education in the field of agriculture in India. It is equipped with the latest technologies like artificial intelligence and deep learning software for building and deploying deep learning-based applications through image analysis, disease identification in livestock, etc.”
Why this source?
- Explicitly describes a system (Krishi Megh) equipped with artificial intelligence and deep learning for image analysis.
- Specifically cites use of these tools for disease identification in livestock, a diagnostic application.
- Mentions deployment and building of deep learning–based applications, implying practical diagnostic use.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 359
Presence: 4/5
“• Precision Farming uses AI technology to aid in detecting diseases in plants, pests and poor plant nutrition on farms. AI sensors can detect and target weeds while deciding which herbicides to apply within the right buffer - preventing over application of herbicides and excessive toxins that find their way in our food.• Precision Farming can be very helpful for horticulture crops. Horticulture crops are high input and high output crops which require continuous monitoring and active management of soil nutrients, pests, and diseases. That is where most farmers face problems.• Resolving Labour Challenge: With less people entering the farming profession, most farms are facing the challenge of a workforce shortage.”
Why this source?
- States that Precision Farming uses AI to aid in detecting diseases in plants.
- Notes AI sensors can detect pests, poor nutrition and target interventions—functions aligned with diagnosis and identification.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 358
Presence: 4/5
“By using drone technology with AI enabled cameras, agricultural farmers and pest control companies can virtually walk every crop and provide nearly full-time monitoring to look for irregular crop degradation, pests, disease spots or dead soil. A farmer can then collect data from a specific crop area and stop the spread of disease. Unmanned drones are able to cover far more land in much less time than humans on foot allowing for large farms to be monitored more frequently.• The volume of data collected through technologies like farm machinery, drone imagery and crop analytics is too abundant for humans to process.”
Why this source?
- Describes drone technology with AI-enabled cameras used to monitor crops and identify disease spots.
- Highlights ability to collect focused data from affected areas to stop disease spread, indicating effective diagnostic monitoring.
Statement 4
As of 2020, can artificial intelligence effectively perform text-to-speech conversion?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs
Fairness: CA heavy
Web-answerable
"voice-enabled buyer apps and chat platforms like WhatsApp, Instant Messenger, or Instagram, powered by technologies such as real-time translation, transliteration, automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech and speech-to-text, can support natural language interactions across various national and international languages."
Why this source?
- Explicitly lists "text-to-speech" among AI-powered technologies used in voice-enabled applications.
- Places text-to-speech alongside real-time translation, automatic speech recognition and speech-to-text, implying it is a practical component of AI systems for natural language interactions.
- Context describes these technologies supporting end-to-end buyer interactions, indicating operational use rather than just research.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 7: Indian Economy after 2014 > Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0): Present > p. 232
Strength: 4/5
“With rapid development in the fields of information technology and hardware, the world is about to witness a fourth industrial revolution i.e., Industry 4.0, which is rooted in a new technological phenomenon - digitalization. This digitalization enables us to build a new virtual world from which we can steer the physical world. While Industry 3.0 focussed on the automation of single machines and processes, Industry 4.0 concentrates on the end-to-end digitisation of all physical assets and their integration into digital ecosystems with value chain partners. Driven by the power of big data, high computing capacity, artificial intelligence and analytics, Industry 4.0 aims to completely digitise the manufacturing sector.”
Why relevant
Describes Industry 4.0 driven by 'high computing capacity, artificial intelligence and analytics' enabling end-to-end digitisation and creation of a 'virtual world'.
How to extend
A student could infer that mature AI plus high compute in 2020 supports complex generative tasks (like TTS) and then check contemporaneous TTS systems and compute availability.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 357
Strength: 3/5
“• Artificial Intelligence can be used with historic weather data to predict the best time for sowing of seeds. With the help of historic data from the farms, AI can predict other stages of the farming process such as when to irrigate the field and apply fertilizers etc. to get the maximum yield with least input cost.• Farmers are also using AI to create seasonal forecasting models to improve agricultural accuracy and increase productivity. These models are able to predict upcoming weather patterns months ahead to assist decisions of farmers.• IoT-led devices with remote sensors can be placed at farms to record crop, soil, humidity, and weather conditions in real-time and the data collected by the device is harnessed using AI and ML to generate farm-specific, crop-specific, and crop-stage-”
Why relevant
Gives concrete examples of AI being applied to real-world, data-driven tasks (weather and farm forecasting), showing practical deployment of ML/AI in 2020-era contexts.
How to extend
One could generalise that if AI handled nuanced prediction and modelling tasks in production, similar ML methods could be adapted to audio generation (TTS), then compare published TTS research/products from 2020.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 4. Unleashing the potential > p. 447
Strength: 2/5
“• For enhancing ease of doing business, more than 39,000 compliances have been reduced and more than 3,400 legal provisions have been decriminalized. For furthering the trust-based governance, Govt. has introduced the Jan Vishwas Bill to amend 42 Central Acts.• For realizing the vision of "Make AI in India and Make AI work for India", three centres of excellence for Artificial Intelligence will be set-up in top educational institutions.• In cases of failure by MSMEs to execute contracts during the Covid period, 95 per cent of the forfeited amount relating to bid or performance security, will be returned to them by government and government undertakings.• An Entity DigiLocker will be set up for use by MSMEs, large business and charitable trusts.”
Why relevant
Mentions policy drive to 'Make AI in India and Make AI work for India' and establishment of AI centres of excellence, indicating institutional investment in AI capabilities around that time.
How to extend
A student might deduce that government and institutional support accelerates development and deployment of AI technologies, and then look for institutional or commercial TTS offerings circa 2020.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 1: National Income > POTENTIAL GDP > p. 9
Strength: 2/5
“Major challenges for India in achieving Potential GDP: • 1. Gender inequality (for reference that gender equality boosts potential GDP by 26%). • 2. The issue of unemployment and under-employment. • 3. Use of old age production methods to produce goods. • 4. Need for a user-friendly regulatory framework in terms of easy entry and exit policy for corporates. As per recent reports, it has been predicted that the introduction of GST has boosted the potential GDP of India by 6.7 per cent. Moreover, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can add up to $450-$500 billion to GDP by 2025, as predicted by NASSCOM.”
Why relevant
States that use of AI can add substantially to GDP by 2025, implying wide economic adoption and applicability of AI technologies across sectors.
How to extend
From broad economic impact claims, a student could reason that commercially useful AI applications (including TTS for accessibility and services) were likely viable by 2020 and seek marketplace examples.
Statement 5
As of 2020, can artificial intelligence be used to perform wireless transmission of electrical energy (wireless power transfer)?
Origin: Weak / unclear
Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 357
Strength: 5/5
“• Artificial Intelligence can be used with historic weather data to predict the best time for sowing of seeds. With the help of historic data from the farms, AI can predict other stages of the farming process such as when to irrigate the field and apply fertilizers etc. to get the maximum yield with least input cost.• Farmers are also using AI to create seasonal forecasting models to improve agricultural accuracy and increase productivity. These models are able to predict upcoming weather patterns months ahead to assist decisions of farmers.• IoT-led devices with remote sensors can be placed at farms to record crop, soil, humidity, and weather conditions in real-time and the data collected by the device is harnessed using AI and ML to generate farm-specific, crop-specific, and crop-stage-”
Why relevant
Shows AI being used to process sensor/IoT data and make operational decisions (e.g., timing irrigation, forecasting) — an example of AI controlling physical systems.
How to extend
A student could infer that similar AI models and sensor networks might be applied to control, optimise or coordinate wireless power systems and then check technical literature on AI in power electronics or WPT control.
Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 27: Fuel and Power > Uses and advantages > p. 273
Strength: 4/5
“3. Convenient transport. Unlike coal or petroleum, electricity needs neither trucks nor pipes. By means Fig. 27.10 A hydro-electric power station where electricity is generated and distributed Of only wires and plugs, electric energy can be transported to consuming points over great distances and with the greatest ease. With the use of large undersea cables, Sweden is able to 'export' electricity across the Sound to Denmark. Very high voltage cables are now used to transmit electricity for distances over 1600 km (1,000 miles) with negligible loss in energy.”
Why relevant
States the prevailing pattern: electrical energy is normally transported via wires and plugs over long distances — defining the conventional baseline for power transfer.
How to extend
A student could use this baseline to contrast wired transmission with wireless methods and then investigate whether AI has been proposed or used to manage non‑wire transmission.
Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: Electricity: Circuits and their Components > Electricity: Circuits and their Components > p. 24
Strength: 3/5
“Can you help Nihal by adding some more uses to his lists? Also, suggest some other ways of grouping the uses of electricity. We use electricity all the time, so let us learn something more about electricity. You have learnt earlier that electricity is generated in multiple ways — by windmills, by using wind energy, by solar panels capturing the Sun's energy, by falling water and by using natural gas or coal (in the chapter 'Nature's Treasures' in the Grade 6 Science textbook Curiosity). The electric supply from these sources reaches our homes and factories via wires. For example, at home we plug in various devices to the electrical sockets in the wall.”
Why relevant
Emphasises that electricity supply typically reaches consumers via wires and sockets and lists generation methods — clarifies typical system architecture an AI would have to interface with.
How to extend
A student could use knowledge of existing wired distribution topology to reason about what new control or safety roles AI would need to perform for wireless power transfer and then search for studies applying AI to WPT safety/control.
Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 9: Distribution of World Natural Resources > Water as a Resource > p. 9
Strength: 3/5
“Te Ministry of Power in India, is primarily responsible for the development of electrical energy in the country. Te construction, and operation of power projects and generation and transmission of power are entrusted to the National Termal Power Corporation (NTPC), the National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC), the North-Easten Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), and the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL). Te Power Grid is responsible for all the existing and future transmission projects in the Central Sector and also for the formation of the National Power Grid. Te installed power generation capacity of India has increased from about 1400 MW in 1947 to 174, 361 MW (2011).”
Why relevant
Describes institutional and grid structures (Ministry, power corporations, Power Grid) responsible for generation and transmission — indicating where control/management technologies like AI would be deployed.
How to extend
One could infer that any practical wireless power deployment would need integration with grid operators, so a student could look for AI pilot projects within utilities or regulatory documents concerning WPT and AI.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > INDIAN ENERGY EXCHANGE (IEX) > p. 281
Strength: 3/5
“• It is a power/electricity trading platform regulated by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).
• It is the first and largest energy exchange in India providing a nationwide, automated \bullettrading platform for physical delivery of electricity, Renewable Energy Certificates and Energy Saving Certificates.
• It enables efficient price discovery and increases the accessibility and transparency of the \bulletpower market in India”
Why relevant
Explains the existence of automated trading and platformisation in the electricity sector (IEX) — an example where software/automation manages electricity flows and markets.
How to extend
From this, a student might reasonably hypothesise that automation/AI is already accepted in power systems and then check whether similar automation has been applied to manage wireless power transfer systems or markets.
Pattern takeaway:
UPSC S&T 'Application' questions (e.g., Uses of Drones, AI, Nanotech) have a 90% tendency to be 'All of the above'. The examiner tests your understanding of the technology's *potential horizon*, not just its current commercial catalog.
How you should have studied
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter (with the 'Science Heuristic'). While 'Wireless Transmission' looks exotic, it is a control-system problem, which AI solves. Source: General Awareness + Logic.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Science & Technology > Emerging Technologies > Artificial Intelligence (Applications).
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Map the 'Verbs' of Emerging Tech: 1. AI/ML: Optimizes, Predicts, Generates. 2. Blockchain: Decentralizes, Verifies. 3. CRISPR: Edits, Targets. 4. IoT: Senses, Connects. 5. Quantum Computing: Solves (Optimization/Crypto).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Do not hunt for specific news articles for every option. Instead, apply the 'Function Test': Does the task involve analyzing data, optimizing a flow, or generating a pattern? If yes, AI can do it. Wireless power is just 'optimizing energy flow without wires'.
Concept hooks from this question
👉 Industrial electricity demand & its consequences
💡 The insight
Industrial growth and rising per-capita income drive rapid increases in electricity demand, causing power failures and production losses when supply is inadequate.
High-yield for UPSC: questions often link industrial development to energy demand, supply constraints and economic outcomes. Mastering this helps answer policy and infrastructure questions, and connects to topics like industrial policy, energy security and regional development.
📚 Reading List :
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 8: Energy Resources > ENERGY CRISIS > p. 30
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 27: Fuel and Power > World production and distribution of electricity. > p. 274
🔗 Anchor: "As of 2020, can artificial intelligence effectively reduce electricity consumpti..."
👉 Electricity generation mix and development indicator
💡 The insight
Electricity comes from thermal, hydro, fossil fuels and renewables, and per-capita electricity use is a standard index of socio-economic development.
Core concept for UPSC: understanding generation sources informs debates on energy transition, climate policy and regional energy planning. It aids answers on energy security, renewable integration and development indices.
📚 Reading List :
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 8: Energy Resources > Electricity > p. 17
- NCERT. (2022). Contemporary India II: Textbook in Geography for Class X (Revised ed.). NCERT. > Chapter 5: Print Culture and the Modern World > Electricity > p. 115
🔗 Anchor: "As of 2020, can artificial intelligence effectively reduce electricity consumpti..."
👉 Waste-to-energy and technological alternatives
💡 The insight
Technological routes such as waste-to-energy (incineration, pyrolysis, gasification, biomethanation) can generate electricity and reduce waste disposed to landfills.
Relevant for UPSC sections on renewable energy and urban/environmental management: explains alternative supply options, mitigation of waste issues, and links to policy instruments for sustainable energy. Useful for questions on decentralized generation and circular economy.
📚 Reading List :
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 22: Renewable Energy > 22.8 WASTE TO ENERGY > p. 294
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 8: Energy Resources > ENERGY CRISIS > p. 30
🔗 Anchor: "As of 2020, can artificial intelligence effectively reduce electricity consumpti..."
👉 AI applications in agriculture
💡 The insight
AI is actively applied to predict sowing times, irrigation, fertilizers and to build seasonal forecasting models for farming decisions.
High-yield topic for UPSC: demonstrates concrete, policy-relevant uses of AI in primary sector modernization and rural development. Connects to questions on technology adoption in agriculture, climate-smart farming, and digital public goods. Enables answer patterns comparing domain-specific AI uses with broader capabilities.
📚 Reading List :
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 357
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 358
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > X Krishi Megh > p. 332
🔗 Anchor: "As of 2020, can artificial intelligence generate meaningful short stories and so..."
👉 Industry 4.0 and the role of AI
💡 The insight
AI is a core driver of Industry 4.0 and end-to-end digitisation of physical assets and manufacturing ecosystems.
Important for questions on economic transformation, manufacturing policy, and technological change. Helps link AI to industrial policy, employment impacts, and digital infrastructure debates — useful for essays and economy/GS mains answers.
📚 Reading List :
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 7: Indian Economy after 2014 > Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0): Present > p. 232
🔗 Anchor: "As of 2020, can artificial intelligence generate meaningful short stories and so..."
👉 Deep learning and image-analysis use-cases
💡 The insight
Deep learning and image-recognition systems are used for tasks like disease identification in livestock and camera-enabled weed recognition, illustrating AI's pattern-recognition strengths.
Practically useful for UPSC answers on AI capabilities and limits: explains why AI excels at pattern-based tasks and where it is deployed operationally. Enables comparisons between task-specific AI systems and claims about general creative abilities.
📚 Reading List :
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > X Krishi Megh > p. 332
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 358
🔗 Anchor: "As of 2020, can artificial intelligence generate meaningful short stories and so..."
👉 AI-based disease detection in agriculture and livestock
💡 The insight
AI systems are used to detect diseases in plants and livestock via image analysis and tailored models.
High-yield for questions at the technology–agriculture interface: explains how digital tools impact farm productivity, animal health and food security. Links to policy issues on adoption, scalability, and rural technology deployment; useful for case-based and policy critique questions.
📚 Reading List :
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > X Krishi Megh > p. 332
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 359
🔗 Anchor: "As of 2020, can artificial intelligence effectively perform disease diagnosis?"
Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). Since 'creating stories' (Generative AI) was tested here, the specific architecture (GANs) or its misuse (Deepfakes) is the next logical sibling fact to master.
The 'Science is Limitless' Rule: In UPSC Prelims, if the question asks 'Can Technology X do Y?', and Y is not scientifically impossible (like 'Perpetual Motion' or 'Time Travel'), the answer is almost always YES. Avoid restrictive options.
GS-3 (Infrastructure & Security): AI in energy (Statement 1 & 5) links to 'Smart Grids'. A Smart Grid reduces AT&C losses but increases vulnerability to Cyber Warfare (Critical Infrastructure attacks).