A report in Times of India states that India will infuse AI in its army in the foreseeable future. While other countries like China and the U.S have already focused on harnessing the power of Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (MI) to develop Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), India, not wanting to fall behind in the race to develop AI-powered surveillance and defence systems for future wars, has decided to prioritize AI in defence.
The defence establishment is now trying to harness the country’s technical and academic expertise in this arena. Stressing on the need to prioritize AI in defence during the DefExpo in Chennai last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “New and emerging technologies like AI and Robotics will perhaps be the most important determinants of defensive and offensive capabilities for any defence force in the future. India, with its leadership in information technology domain, would strive to use this technology tilt to its advantage.”
As per reports, the government has already put together a multi-stakeholder task force to formulate a comprehensive strategy and framework for ‘employment of AI for national security and defence needs’ in the coming years. Union defence production Secretary, Ajay Kumar told Times of India, “The world is moving towards AI-driven warfare. India is also taking necessary steps to prepare our armed forces because AI has the potential to have a transformative impact on national security. The government has set up the AI taskforce to prepare the roadmap for it.”
DRDO’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) is also trying to develop various kinds of intelligent robots for a range of purposes. The task force is comprised of 17 members and is headed by TATA sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran. It also consists of IIT and IISc professors along with two to three-star generals and representatives from institutions such as ISRO, DRDO, Atomic energy commission. The task force is working on a roadmap with multiple objectives in mind.
Interestingly, this comes soon after the Indian Government committing Rs 150 billion for indigenization of ammunition, for the Indian Army.