GS Paper III 2026 ┬╖ Q16
15 marks ┬╖ 250 wordsрдПрдЬреЗрдВрдЯрд┐рдХ рдХреГрддреНрд░рд┐рдо рдмреБрджреНрдзрд┐рдорддреНрддрд╛ (рдП рдЖрдИ) рдХреНрдпрд╛ рд╣реИ ? рдЗрд╕рдХреА рдХрд╛рд░реНрдп-рдкреНрд░рдгрд╛рд▓реА рдХреЛ рд╕рдордЭрд╛рдЗрдПред рдЗрд╕рдХреЗ рдЕрдиреБрдкреНрд░рдпреЛрдЧреЛрдВ рдХрд╛ рд╡рд░реНрдгрди рдЙрдЪрд┐рдд рдЙрджрд╛рд╣рд░рдгреЛрдВ рдХреЗ рд╕рд╛рде рдХреАрдЬрд┐рдпреЗред рдПрдЬреЗрдВрдЯрд┐рдХ рдП рдЖрдИ рдкреНрд░рдгрд╛рд▓рд┐рдпреЛрдВ рд╕реЗ рд╕рдореНрдмрджреНрдз рд▓рд╛рднреЛрдВ, рдЬреЛрдЦрд┐рдореЛрдВ рдФрд░ рдЪреБрдиреМрддрд┐рдпреЛрдВ рдХреА рдЪрд░реНрдЪрд╛ рдХреАрдЬрд┐рдпреЗред
Read this question in English
What is agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) ? Explain its working. Describe its applications with suitable examples. Discuss the advantages, risks and challenges associated with agentic AI systems.
ЁЯзн How to think about this question ┬╖ directive: тАЬwhat / explain / describe / discussтАЭ
Decode the demand
- Four directives, four parts: 'what is' (define), 'explain its working' (the mechanism step by step), 'describe applications with examples' (named, sector-wise), 'discuss advantages, risks and challenges' (three separate lists, each with reasons). Each gets its own heading.
- The issue in one line: AI that acts on a goal, not AI that answers a prompt; so the policy question shifts from speech to action.
- The trap: writing one long paragraph on 'AI in general'. The examiner wants the word agentic explained: autonomy, planning, tool use, feedback.
- Carry specifics: one verified scheme number (IndiaAI Mission), the date and stance of India's AI Governance Guidelines, the Summit theme.
Think in a structure
- Open with a two-line definition that contrasts a chatbot and an agent, then turn to the demand.
- Working as a flowchart (goal тЖТ plan тЖТ tools тЖТ observe тЖТ revise тЖТ act), then one point per component; applications as a table by sector with an Indian example in each row.
- Advantages, risks, challenges as three short headings, each point an ethical or technical keyword plus a reason; keep 'risk' (what can go wrong) separate from 'challenge' (what is hard to govern).
- End from the administrator's seat: human in the loop, risk-based rules already issued, testing, sovereign stack; anchor the conclusion in the AI Impact Summit 2026 theme.
Facts checked at source (5)┬╖ open
- India's AI Governance Guidelines take a risk-based approach and do not permit unrestricted deployment of high-risk AI.PIB тАФ MeitY on India AI Governance Guidelines (19 December 2025) тЖЧтАЬThe Guidelines do not allow unrestricted deployment of high-risk AI systems. It adopts a risk-based, evidence-led and proportional governance approach.тАЭ
- Cabinet approved the IndiaAI Mission on 7 March 2024 with a budget outlay of тВ╣10,371.92 crore.PMO (pmindia.gov.in) тАФ Cabinet approves IndiaAI Mission (7 March 2024) тЖЧтАЬthe Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the comprehensive national-level IndiaAI mission with a budget outlay of Rs.10,371.92 crore.тАЭ
- The India AI Governance Guidelines were released on 5 November 2025 as a national framework for safe, responsible and inclusive AI.PIB тАФ India AI Governance Guidelines do not allow unrestricted deployment of high-risk AI systems (MeitY, 19 December 2025) тЖЧтАЬThe India AI Governance Guidelines were released on 5 November 2025. It provides a comprehensive national framework to ensure the safe, responsible, and inclusive development of Artificial Intelligence in the country.тАЭ
- The Guidelines create no new statutory audits, appeals or oversight bodies; they rely on existing laws, the IT Act, the DPDP Act and sector-specific regulation, with sectoral regulators enforcing within their mandate.PIB тАФ India AI Governance Guidelines (MeitY, 19 December 2025) тЖЧтАЬThey do not introduce new statutory mechanisms such as independent audits, appeals, or new oversight bodies. Instead, the Guidelines rely on existing laws. These include the Information Technology Act, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, and sector-specific regulations.тАЭ
- PMO: the Prime Minister inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit 2026 on 19 February 2026; theme 'Welfare for All, Happiness of All'; three pillars People, Planet and Progress.PMO (pmindia.gov.in) тАФ PM to inaugurate India AI Impact Summit 2026 on 19 February (18 February 2026) тЖЧтАЬThree key pillars of the Summit: People, Planet, and ProgressтАЭ
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2026, GS Paper III тАФ paper тЖЧ. Guidance: Minimalist IAS, checked 8 Nov 2026 (how we verify). ┬╖
Model answer┬╖ 672words ┬╖ Minimalist IAS
Agentic AI is software that takes a goal, plans the steps, uses tools and keeps acting on its own until the goal is met, where a chatbot only answers one prompt. The policy question therefore shifts from what AI says to what AI does.
What agentic AI is
- Goal-directed autonomy: it decides which step comes next and executes it without a fresh human instruction at every turn.
- A chatbot drafts a travel plan; an agent compares fares, books the ticket and files the reimbursement claim.
- Autonomy is a spectrum: from a tool that suggests, to a co-pilot that acts on approval, to an agent that acts and then reports.
The full answer goes on to cover
- How it works
- Applications with suitable examples
- Advantages
- Risks
- Challenges
- Way forward: what a government can do
With 1 table, 1 flowchart you can reproduce in the exam.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) ┬╖ facts checked against official sources (how we verify) ┬╖ updated 8 Nov 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.







