Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (CSJMU), Kanpur, is set to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of its examination system. The state university will use AI to help prepare question papers for its odd-semester examinations in the 2026-27 academic session and will run a pilot on AI-based evaluation of answer sheets.
The decisions were taken at the university’s 28th Examination Committee meeting, chaired by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Vinay Kumar Pathak. The stated goal is an examination process that is more organised, transparent and technology-driven.
What changes in the exam cycle
- AI-assisted question papers: AI tools will support the setting of papers for odd-numbered semesters (first, third, fifth and so on). The university has not yet detailed how AI-generated papers will be reviewed and moderated.
- Pilot for AI evaluation: A small-scale trial will test whether AI can reliably assess answer sheets before any wider rollout.
- More digital evaluation: CSJMU will expand on-screen assessment of answer scripts, reducing dependence on purely paper-based checking.
- On-site paper printing: The university will also test printing question papers at selected examination centres, a step aimed at tightening security around paper distribution.
Building AI capacity on campus
The exam reforms come alongside a new AI Foundation Course launched at CSJMU in collaboration with the Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj Innovation Foundation, aimed at giving students both the fundamentals of AI and a practical sense of how it is used across education, employment and entrepreneurship.
Relief for students in affiliated colleges
The committee also cleared several student-facing decisions. Eligible LLB and BA LLB students whose results were held back will be allowed to progress to the next semester within the maximum course duration. Results for BSc Agriculture and BEd students whose colleges failed to upload internal assessment marks on time will be completed on the basis of written examinations, with action possible against the defaulting colleges. Examination form submission at one Kanpur law college has been put on hold pending an inquiry into alleged admission irregularities.
Why it matters
Large affiliating universities in India handle lakhs of answer scripts every semester, and delays in evaluation and results remain a persistent pain point. CSJMU’s move places it among the early state universities experimenting with AI across both ends of assessment, from setting papers to checking them. How the university builds human oversight, moderation and fairness checks into the pilot will determine whether the model can scale, and will be closely watched by other institutions weighing AI in high-stakes examinations under the NEP 2020 push for technology-enabled assessment reform.
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