UPI vs cash: ask 5 real vendors
India’s payment revolution happened at the thela, not in the boardroom. Draft your questions with AI, make them conversational yourself, then interview 5 real vendors — chaiwala, sabziwala, autowala, kirana owner — about UPI vs cash: what they prefer, what it really costs them.
Posted by The AI Internships
The work brief
- 01Prepare 6-8 questions with AI, then make them conversational: preference, % of sales on UPI, settlement issues, disputes, what changed since they adopted it.
- 02Interview 5 real vendors of different types. Note exact phrases — the gold is in their words.
- 03Look for the patterns AND the contradictions between vendors.
- 04Write the field report: what the payment revolution actually looks like from the other side of the counter.
What you’ll produce3 deliverables
Submission standard
Submit your questions, the 5 interview notes with direct quotes, and the field report. Add one image showing the 5 real stalls/shopfronts you visited (with consent), each matching a vendor in your notes.
Your final questions (and what you changed from the AI draft)
Written responseRequiredNotes from all 5 vendors: type of business, answers, at least 2 direct quotes each
Notes from all 5 vendors: each must name the real shop/stall and its location, the business type, answers, and at least 2 direct quotes. Each must correspond to a vendor in your photo.
Written responseRequiredThe field report: patterns, contradictions, and what surprised you most
Written responseRequired
You’ll complete these inside your private workspace.
What you must submit as proof1 proof item · Required
This brief requires evidence an AI can’t fabricate.
One image showing the 5 real stalls you interviewed — shopfront/thela/counter visible, no faces
Photograph the stall, not the vendor. Ask permission before you shoot and blur any face that lands in frame. Each stall must be identifiable and match a vendor in your notes (type of business, location).
Image uploadRequired
Submissions without this evidence cannot be submitted.
Protect other people in your proof. Blur faces, names, phone numbers and email addresses before you upload, and refer to anyone you worked with by role or number ("Listener 1", "the stall owner"). Your proof is only ever used to check your work — it is never published, never appears on your certificate, and is never shown in your public portfolio.
How your work is evaluatedPass mark: 70/100
The passing benchmark is 70/100. Final score: Output 50% · AI process 30% · Evidence 20%. Required proof checks must also pass before certification.
Output criteria
Real interviews
40%The 5 conversations have real texture — specific businesses, messy details, real quotes.
Vendor variety
20%5 genuinely different vendor types giving different perspectives.
Report insight
40%The report finds patterns and contradictions, not just summaries.
Required proof checks
Proof of real fieldwork
Photos show 5 real, distinct vendor sites that correspond to the 5 write-ups (named location, matching business type). Missing photos, stock images, or vendors that don't match the notes = fail regardless of how good the quotes read.
How we grade your AI usage30% of your score
Using AI is the point — it’s the skill this certificate proves. You’ll answer three short questions about how you used it: what you asked, what was wrong with its first answer, and what you changed. Specific, honest answers score high. “I pasted the brief and submitted the answer” scores near zero.