In an era defined by rapid technological evolution, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into defence strategies emerges as a paramount imperative, reshaping the landscape of modern warfare. From enhancing situational awareness to optimizing logistical operations, AI catalyses a paradigm shift, empowering defence forces with unprecedented capabilities to anticipate, adapt, and overcome multifaceted challenges. For understanding the growing significance of AI in defence, the VIF under the S&T series organised a talk on “Unleashing Tomorrow: A Journey into the Artificial Intelligence Frontier” by Mr Shrenik Zaveri, Director, Product Management, Artificial Intelligence Platform, Cisco Systems, San Francisco, USA on 5 December 2024. The talk focussed on the importance of AI in the defence industry, emphasised tech innovation, cybersecurity, and the human-machine teaming applications in the defence industry. It delved into the transformative potential of AI within defence paradigms, navigating the intricate intersection of cutting-edge technology and national security imperatives. After Zaveri’s presentation, Mr Aseem Asthana, Solution Architect, Artificial Intelligence, Cisco Systems, San Francisco, USA, in his remarks highlighted the role of Large Language Model (LLM), quantum computing, blockchain in defence, and importance of having a clear AI vision & indigenous development of AI model. Brig Vinod Anand, Senior Fellow, VIF, chaired the meeting and in his remarks set the tone for the discussion.

The evolution of AI in defence has been characterized by significant advancements across various applications and domains. The early stages of AI research and development (R&D) in defence (1950s-1970s) focused on foundational concepts and theories, including symbolic reasoning, expert systems, and early forms of machine learning (ML). Researchers explored AI applications in areas such as pattern recognition, natural language processing, and decision support systems for military planning, command and control. The 1980s and 1990s saw the emergence of expert systems, a form of AI designed to emulate the decision-making abilities of human experts in specific domains. The late 1990s and early 2000s witnessed a resurgence of interest in ML techniques, including neural networks, genetic algorithms, and support vector machines. The 21st century has seen a significant focus on the development of autonomous systems and robotics in defence, leveraging AI technologies for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ground robots, and autonomous vehicles. The current focus in AI for defence is on human-machine teaming and augmented intelligence, where AI technologies complement human capabilities rather than replace them.

Innovation and technology development are fundamental drivers of military modernization, operational effectiveness, and strategic advantage in the defence sector, contributing to national security, stability, and resilience in an increasingly complex and dynamic security environment. Advanced technologies enable the development of more capable and sophisticated military systems, including weapons, sensors, communication networks, and platforms such as aircraft, ships, and ground vehicles. These technologies enhance military effectiveness, lethality, and survivability on the battlefield. While the nature of security threats is constantly evolving, ranging from conventional warfare to asymmetric threats such as cyberattacks, terrorism, and hybrid warfare. Innovation in defence technology enables military forces to adapt to these dynamic threats by developing countermeasures, surveillance capabilities, and defensive systems. Importantly, continuous innovation and technological enhancements are necessary to maintain a strategic advantage and protect against external threats.

AI is a force multiplier, fortifies the defence apparatus with resilience, agility, and foresight in an ever-evolving global security landscape. AI plays a crucial role in enhancing the capabilities of defence systems and empowering military forces to adapt to evolving threats in the modern battlefield. AI is being used to develop and improve autonomous systems for various military applications, including UAVs or drones, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). These systems can perform tasks such as reconnaissance, surveillance, and even combat missions with reduced risk to human operators. AI-powered decision support systems analyse vast amounts of data from various sources, including sensors, satellites, and intelligence reports, to provide military commanders with timely and accurate information for decision-making. These systems can assist in strategic planning, threat assessment, and mission planning. AI-based training and simulation systems are used to train military personnel in various scenarios, from battlefield tactics to operating advanced equipment. AI is utilized in cybersecurity to detect and respond to cyber threats in real-time. The future of defence industry is focused on these AI-powered systems and operations.

Moreover, quantum computing holds significant promise for revolutionizing various aspects of the defence industry as the technology could be applied for developing secure communication networks, cryptography and cybersecurity, sensor data fusion and signal processing. Quantum computing and blockchain could be combined to enhance security in communication and AI training. Hence, integrating AI, quantum technology and blockchain into defence systems would significantly increase efficiency and accuracy of the systems. However, major concerns include security vulnerabilities, data quality and security issues, lack of AI talent among others remains. The widespread use of AI in weapons could potentially lead to an uncontrollable arms race and unintended escalation of conflict. In addition, ethical considerations and concerns regarding the autonomous nature of AI-powered weapons continue to be debated within the international community.

It was noted that there is a need to increase investment in R&D of cutting-edge technologies, particularly in AI applications and autonomous systems for land, air and sea. India should focus on becoming a product company instead of a services company, investing in R&D. It needs to focus on indigenizing communication systems to ensure secure and direct links within the armed forces. The development of indigenous chip manufacturing capabilities is crucial for India to advance in AI and other technological innovations. It needs to build AI models based on its own data and narratives. It needs to ensure data remains within the country and protect data from cyberattacks by building cyber resilient systems. It further needs to strengthen technology cooperation with major powers and explore opportunities for collaboration with scientists, private industries and startups for joint R&D in AI. It also needs to focus on R&D in post-quantum computing for better security measures and the use of blockchain technology to ensure standardized supply chains and reliable sourcing of data.