TRUST UNDER WATCH: PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF AI-ENABLED SURVEILLANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE LEGITIMACY IN INDIA

Abstract

The growing prevalence of so-called artificial intelligence (AI)-based surveillance in India, from biometric identification to facial recognition, crime tracking systems, and smart city platforms, has altered the state's relationship with its people. The paper examines the perceptions, negotiation, and evaluation of the Indian publics of AI-based administrative surveillance, as well as how these perceptions relate to other concepts of state legitimacy, procedural justice, and institutional trust. Fusing survey data from nationally representative studies, secondary empirical literature and comparative policy analysis across six countries, the study highlights a paradox: while the vast majority of respondents view surveillance technologies as crime deterrents, there are substantial minorities, especially among marginalised groups, Scheduled Castes and Tribals and lower income urban groups, who are deeply suspicious based on their experiences of being excluded by algorithms, prevented from access to Aadhaar, and unable to access the identity data of the state. The most predictive factors for institutional trust are perceived procedural fairness and accountability of government. The paper claims that the governance gap in India, which includes the lack of an independent AI oversight framework, weak enforcement of data protection laws, and unchecked facial recognition applications by the courts, undermines the legitimacy of the government even when citizens use surveillance as a means to an end. Recommendations include the following: an AI Governance Act to create regulations for the use of AI; moratoriums on automated facial recognition in the public sphere; algorithmic audits and community-level digital redressal mechanisms. The study contributes to growing literature on surveillance studies, public administration, and the political sociology of technology in the Global South.