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AI-Based Warfare in the ‘Agentic’ Age

Key Context

  • Chinas 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 powerdata transfer, and energy.
  • Indias 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.

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