Elections:

Why in news?

• The Election Commission announced a seven-phase Lok Sabha election starting April 19. With the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force bringing announcements of new schemes by the government and use of government machinery for electioneering by ministers to a halt.

About Election:

• Election is a mechanism by which people choose, by voting, their representatives at regular intervals and change them if they wish to do so.
• Elections are held on the basis of universal adult franchise, which means all Indians of 18 years of age and above have the right to vote, irrespective of their caste, colour, religion, sex or place of birth.

Election Commission of India (ECI):

• ECI is an autonomous constitutional authority established in accordance with the Constitution on 25th January 1950.
• ECI is responsible for the superintendence, direction and control of the entire process for conduct of elections to Parliament and Legislature of every State and to the offices of President and Vice-President of India.
• Originally the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner. It currently consists of Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.
• The main functions of the Election Commission are to delimit the constituencies, recognise the political parties, allot the symbols, and appoint officials to conduct and supervise the elections.

Procedures:

• Notification for Election: The process of election officially begins when on the recommendation of Election Commission, the President in case of Lok Sabha and the Governor in case of State Assembly issue a notification for the election.
• Filing of Nomination Structure of Government: A person who intends to contest an election is required to file the nomination paper in a prescribed form indicating his name, age, postal address and serial number in the electoral rolls.
• Security Deposit: Every candidate has to make a security deposit at the time of filing nomination.
• Scrutiny and Withdrawal: All nomination papers received by the Returning Officer are scrutinised on the day fixed by the Election Commission. The candidates can also withdraw their nominations.
• Election Campaign: Campaigning is the process by which a candidate tries to persuade the voters to vote for him rather than others.
• During this period, the candidates try to travel through their constituency to influence as many voters as possible to vote in their favour.
• Model Code of Conduct: During the campaign period the political parties and the contesting candidates are expected to abide by a model code of conduct evolved by the Election Commission of India on the basis of the consensus among political parties.
• It comes into force the moment the schedule of the election is announced by the Election Commission.
• Polling, Counting and Declaration of Result: In order to conduct polling, large number of polling booths are set up in each constituency.
• Each booth is placed under the charge of a Presiding Officer with the Polling Officers to help the process.
• The candidate who secures the highest number of votes in a constituency is declared elected.

Electoral Reforms:

To restore the confidence of the public in the democratic electoral system, many electoral reforms have been recommended from time to time by the Tarkunde Committee and Goswami Committee, under the chairmanship of the then Chief Election Commissioner, T.N. Seshan. Some reforms are:

• Voting age has been lowered from 21 years to 18 years.
• Increase in the amount of security deposit.
• Photo identity cards have been introduced.
• Introduction of Electronic Voting Machine

Conclusion:

There is no doubt that India needs drastic poll reforms but still the fact remains that Indian elections have been largely free and fair and successfully conducted.

With the acceptance of adult suffrage, freedom to contest elections, and the establishment of an independent Election Commission, India has tried to make its election process free and fair.

Predictive AI:

Why in News?

• Predictive AI emerges as a transformative force, reshaping how businesses analyse data, make decisions, and stay ahead in their respective industries.

What is predictive AI?

• Predictive artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the use of machine learning to identify patterns in past events and make predictions about future events.
• It is a computer program’s ability to use statistical analysis to identify patterns, anticipate behaviors, and forecast future events.
• Unlike conventional AI, which predominantly focuses on analysing historical information, Predictive AI operates on a visionary principle: the ability to foresee and forecast future events.
• The key distinction lies in Predictive AI’s capacity to go beyond mere data analysis. It transforms data into a predictive asset, enabling organisations to –
• Anticipate outcomes,
• Anticipate market shifts, and
• Make strategic decisions with unprecedented foresight.

How does Predictive AI Work?

• Big data: In statistics more data generally results in more accurate analysis. Similarly, predictive AI requires access to vast quantities of data/ “big data”.
• Machine learning (ML): ML is a subset of AI and a method for training a computer program to identify data without human intervention.
• In predictive AI, ML is applied to the vast data collections described earlier.
• A predictive AI model can process huge data sets without human supervision.
• Identifying patterns: Predictive AI learns to associate certain types of data or certain occurrences.
• Predictive AI can look at hundreds or thousands of factors to identify patterns – which indicate events that can recur in the future.

Predictive AI vs. Generative AI:

• Predictive and generative AI both use machine learning, combined with access to lots of data, in order to produce their outputs.
• However, predictive AI uses machine learning to extrapolate the future. Generative AI uses machine learning to create content.
• For example, a predictive-AI model tells fishermen when a storm is coming. The Generative AI model writes a novel that imagines various interactions between weather and fishing voyages.
• In a sense, generative AI is similar to predictive AI, as it uses statistical analysis to “predict” which words and concepts belong together.
• But the goals for generative and predictive AI are different, the machine learning models they use are different, and the use cases are different.

What are some use cases for predictive AI?

The applications for predictive AI are vast and wide-ranging. Having some idea of what is coming in the future can be a huge advantage for a business, even if such predictions are not always accurate. Some of the possible predictive AI use cases include:

• Inventory management: Predictive AI can help identify times when consumer demand is likely to be higher and a brand or a store should have more items in stock.
• Supply chain management: Similarly, predictive AI can help determine when times of road congestion will occur or when more trucks are needed to meet spikes in user demand.
• Personalized user experiences: Predictive AI can help anticipate user behavior based on past activity.
• Healthcare: Given enough data, predictive AI could help forecast potential future health conditions based on a person’s medical history. (Health data, of course, is subject to strict regulatory frameworks)
• Marketing campaigns: Just as predictive AI can anticipate user or customer behavior, it can help prognosticate what kinds of content or products that prospective customers may be interested in.