Telangana used an algorithm to build 360-degree profiles of citizens and decide whether they were eligible for state's welfare. The profiles were faulty. As a result, subsidised food was denied to thousands of poor. The state government knew of the blunder, but did not fix it. The Collective’s member Tapasya travelled to the state to understand how states are using artificial intelligence in an unintelligent way, at the cost of citizens. They report along with Kumar Sambhav and Divij Joshi. The story was produced with support from the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network.
Haryana used the state’s Family ID database and algorithms to identify genuine beneficiaries of welfare schemes. The database wrongly listed thousands of citizens as dead. Result: They lost their pensions. The Collective’s Tapasya travelled to Haryana to understand how states are using artificial intelligence in an unintelligent way, at a cost to citizens. She writes along with Kumar Sambhav and Divij Joshi. The story was produced with support from the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network.
Dear Readers,
The Reporters’ Collective relies on your donations. This month (September 2024) we require Rs 7.2 lakh more to meet our costs.
More than 75% of the donations are used to pay the salaries of our colleagues. The rest are spent on backend operational costs.
Please donate to help bridge this gap and enable us to consistently produce 2-3 investigative stories a month.
Our investigations are read in multiple Indian languages as we keep our reportage free for others to publish. Your support ensures our independence. Donate to keep the lights on in our newsroom.