Surveillance Tech

Mohammad Asif Khan

Artificial intelligence (AI) has seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, quietly shaping our interactions and experiences. As you compose an email or a text message, you’ve likely noticed the eerily accurate suggestions that anticipate your thoughts. Online shopping platforms extend personalised recommendations, tailoring selections based on your past preferences. Music streaming services craft playlists that resonate with your unique listening history.

Moreover, within the confines of your home, AI takes on a more tangible form. A voice-activated device readily identifies and responds to queries, effortlessly blending into your routines. Meanwhile, your smartphone employs facial recognition technology, effortlessly granting access with just a glance.

AI’s presence looms large in the security and defence sectors, heralding an era of rapid advancement. The integration of AI in critical sectors like security and defence prompts us to grapple with profound questions about the responsible use of this technology. Issues surrounding privacy, bias and the potential for autonomous decision-making raise concerns about accountability and transparency.

In 2018, India embarked on its AI journey with the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, primarily focusing on commercial and private sectors like agriculture, healthcare, education, smart cities, infrastructure, and transportation. However, it did not encompass the defence sector initially. India, though a late entrant in defence AI, is now taking significant steps in terms of investment, indigenous development and partnerships for AI adoption.

The Defence AI Council (DAIC) and Defence AI Project Agency (DAIPA) were established with a substantial annual budget of Rs 1,000 crore dedicated to AI projects. The Centre for AI and Robotics (CAIR), a laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is actively developing AI-based signal intelligence solutions to bolster armed forces’ intelligence gathering capabilities.

As of July 2022, the ministry of defence has introduced 75 AI-enabled systems for the defence sector, with an additional 140 AI-powered sensor systems deployed along the borders with Pakistan and China. The Indian Army is also set to conduct trials of domestically developed AI-driven unmanned vehicles in Ladakh for surveillance and logistics operations.

To foster international ties in AI and lead in technology diplomacy, the ministry of external affairs es