From automated farm tractors to exam paper grading, AI boosts efficiency for some in India
KARNAL, India (AP) — Farmer Bir Virk tapped the iPad mounted next to the steering wheel of his tractor and put the vehicle into automatic mode. The machine moved forward and began harvesting potatoes on its own in the fields of Karnal, a city in northern India.
About 145 kilometers (90 miles) away in the country’s capital, New Delhi, educator Swetank Pandey has used similar automation at his coaching academy. It used algorithms to scan and score the handwritten exam papers of candidates for the competitive Indian Civil Services.
In both cases, the same invisible hand was at work: artificial intelligence.
From farms to classrooms, AI is quickly emerging as a tool for many Indians to improve efficiency and reduce time, costs and labor. Early adopters, like Virk and Pandey, say the technology helps them increase productivity while testing the potential of AI to find solutions at work.
“I am able to farm very efficiently and I feel very happy doing the work that my grandfather and father did. Now I am carrying on the tradition with the right technology,” Virk said.
India tests its AI scale
As the use of AI increases across the world, the technology is steadily gaining traction in India as businesses, startups and individuals experiment with new ways to improve their efficiency.
The Indian government is also rolling out national initiatives to fund research and train AI workers. The push is visible this week as New Delhi hosts a five-day AI summit, attended by heads of state and high-level tech CEOs.
With nearly a billion internet users, India has also become a key target for global technology companies looking to expand their AI businesses in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets.
Last December, Microsoft announced an investment of $17.5 billion over four years to develop cloud and AI infrastructure in India. This follows a $15 billion investment by Google over five years, including plans for its first AI center in the country.
“Interesting use cases have started. There are scalable platforms that now incorporate AI,” said Sangeeta Gupta, senior vice president at NASSCOM, an eminent body representing the Indian technology industry.
India’s adoption of AI, however, has its limits.
The country still lags behind in developing its own large-scale AI model like the US-based OpenAI or China’s DeepSeek, highlighting challenges such as limited access to advanced semiconductor chips, data centers and hundreds of local languages to learn.
While tech companies have increased their spending on AI training and reskilling, those unable to adapt are being left out. Tata Consultancy Services, the country’s largest private employer, cut more than 12,000 jobs last year, due to a rapid transition to AI.
At the same time, though, people like Virk and Pandey say AI tools are already making their jobs faster and more efficient.
Precision agriculture using AI
Virk, the farmer, first discovered AI-based agricultural technology five years ago while studying and working in the United States. When he returned to India in 2021, he imported the system from a Swedish company and has been using it on his farm for the past few years.
Its automated tractor can plant seeds, spray fertilizer and harvest crops. The system costs about $3,864 and combines a steering motor, satellite signals that help move the tractor precisely, and AI-driven software that converts data into movement.
It also logs errors and uploads them to a cloud platform, where the software company analyzes the data and sends associated updates back to the machine.
“Technology and intelligence play an important role in this. The tractor works in a straight line. It maintains an accuracy of 0.01 centimeters (0.004 inches),” Virk said.
He said his AI-enabled tractor cut his working time in half.
“Its uniqueness is that it is self-learning,” he said.
AI enters India’s famous exam factories
Educator Pandey teaches at a civil services coaching center, a sector known for its fierce competition. Millions of young Indians compete for government jobs every year and coaching centers conduct a large number of tests, assessments and revisions.
Pandey said AI has made this workload easier to manage.
Using large language models such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, along with other automation tools, Pandey and his team analyze and evaluate answer sheets, create targeted study materials and structure syllabuses for aspirants.
Pandey said the technology helps him perform repetitive tasks, making it possible to evaluate tens of thousands of answer sheets in as little as 20 to 25 minutes.
“If you have a better machine, a bigger system, you can do it in two minutes,” he said.
For now, his coaching academy uses a hybrid model. AI facilitates assessments and teachers review the results, improving speed and quality.
Pandey said AI often produces study materials that students find more relevant than those designed by teachers.
“AI is able to give us a basic idea in advance of what the student is doing right now and what they should do next to be able to achieve their goals,” he said.
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Saaliq reported from New Delhi.
