AI Ethics: The Aadhar & Facial Recognition Debate
India's Aadhaar and state-level facial recognition systems highlight the ethical dangers of implementing tech without systemic foresight. Fragmented policymaking and engineering-first approaches eroded privacy and public trust—revealing the costs of sidelining human-centered design and governance in AI deployments.
How we could do it better
A more integrated approach bringing together legal scholars, technologists, ethicists, designers, and grassroots actors, India might have shaped a more inclusive, rights-respecting digital identity system.
Instead, it became a global case study in the unintended consequences of fragmented innovation.
What Happened
India's Aadhaar system, the world's largest biometric ID project, illustrates both the promise and perils of siloed innovation. Initially designed to streamline welfare delivery and reduce fraud, Aadhaar rapidly expanded into areas like banking, mobile connectivity, and law enforcement. Parallel to this, facial recognition tools were deployed by various state governments for policing— often without sufficient legal safeguards or ethical oversight.
What Failed
Technologists focused on scale and efficiency. Policymakers pushed for adoption without privacy frameworks. Civil society raised alarms—but often too late.
The result: concerns about surveillance, exclusion of vulnerable groups, and erosion of public trust.