Key Context
- China’s PLA is advancing rapidly in AI-driven warfare under the umbrella of “intelligentized warfare.”
- AI is being integrated in all levels of military operations: autonomous drones, smart surveillance, precision targeting, and strategic decision-making.
- The “agentic” age implies autonomous agents making independent battlefield decisions—redefining traditional command-control hierarchies.
Relevance : GS 3(Technology , Internal Security)
Concerns for India
- Technological lag: India is still catching up in autonomous AI systems, while China integrates AI across domains.
- Energy constraint: AI-powered warfare is data- and energy-intensive, requiring uninterrupted access to power grids and data centers.
- Infrastructure gap: India’s civilian infrastructure for AI (e.g., energy, data centers, cloud infrastructure) is not at par with leading powers like China or the US.
- Pakistan Factor: China is exporting its AI-based systems to Pakistan, which could alter the strategic balance in the region.
The Nature of AI Warfare
- AI systems are transforming surveillance, drone warfare, ISR, robotics, and precision-strike capabilities.
- China’s AI efforts span:
- DeepSeek AI for autonomous targeting.
- Swarm drones for saturation attacks.
- Use of BeiDou for precision navigation.
- Integration of generative AI and autonomous feedback loops in decision-making marks a shift toward full machine-led warfare.
Energy as a Limiting Factor
- AI systems require massive computational power, data transfer, and energy.
- India’s energy grid is not optimized for military-grade, 24×7 operations of such systems.
- Power availability will dictate the scale and sophistication of future defence AI capabilities.
Volume of Data: The Real Battlefield
- “Volume of information to be handled will outstrip human ability.”
- The ability to store, process, and act on data (with minimal human intervention) is what will differentiate leading military powers.
Private Sector & Tech Ecosystem
- AI warfare will increasingly depend on:
- Private data centers, energy companies.
- Advanced semiconductors and cloud robotics.
- India must invest in civil-military fusion—public-private partnerships to build dual-use infrastructure.
India’s Institutional Responses
- DRDO-CAIR (Centre for AI and Robotics) established in 1986, now tasked with:
- Autonomous planning.
- Targeting, detection, sensor fusion.
- Progress remains slow and siloed.
- Senior officials acknowledge the need for scale, convergence, and fast-track deployment.
Strategic Imperative
- India must:
- Scale up AI investments and plug energy gaps.
- Build AI-ready infrastructure (smart grids, modular reactors).
- Foster synergy between DRDO, ISRO, academia, and private tech firms.
- Recognize AI-energy integration as core to future national security.
Conclusion
- Without robust energy and data infrastructure, India risks falling behind in the AI arms race.
- The future battlefield will be shaped not just by weapons, but by data harnessing and energy resilience.
- AI warfare is not just about tech superiority—but also about the logistics and ecosystem that powers it.
