Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often framed in the context of productivity, startups, and digital governance. But its most consequential impact is unfolding where national sovereignty and global power are ultimately tested in defence. History has shown that every major leap in military technology has redefined the balance of power. AI is poised to do just that.
Throughout history, technological revolutions have reshaped the character of warfare. Gunpowder changed medieval power equations. Industrial production determined the outcome of world wars. Nuclear capability redefined deterrence in the Cold War. Today, AI is redrawing the geometry of the battlefield.
Modern ISR platforms generate terabytes of data per day, cyberattacks propagate in milliseconds, and missile intercept windows may last only a few minutes. In such compressed timelines, AI-powered decision support becomes operationally crucial.
AI is becoming the cognitive layer through which modern military systems understand, decide, and act.
The nature of conflict is changing from platform-centric warfare to network-centric and now data-centric warfare. Decision cycles are shrinking. The side that can understand, process, decide and act faster will prevail. AI precisely enables time compression. It enhances situational awareness through real-time data fusion. It powers autonomous systems in the air, land and sea. It supports predictive maintenance, logistics optimization and threat modeling. This transforms cyber defense from reactive to anticipatory.
For India, the question is not whether AI will shape defence. The question is whether India will shape AI for its own defence.
Globally, major powers have moved decisively. The US has begun to integrate AI into ISR, decision-support, and command-and-control architectures through programs such as Project Maven and JADC2. China has declared “intelligent” warfare as a strategic objective and is linking civilian and military innovation ecosystems. Israel has reportedly employed AI-assisted targeting and surveillance systems to accelerate operational tempo. European countries are also advancing defense AI capabilities while developing ethical and regulatory frameworks.
India cannot afford strategic inaction. It should absorb the lessons while formulating its own principles suited to its geography, threat matrix and democratic values.
India’s strengths are real. A vast pool of software engineers, a thriving startup ecosystem, strong space capabilities and emerging semiconductor initiatives provide a base. Indigenous initiatives in unmanned aerial systems, AI-enabled surveillance at borders and data analytics in internal security operations are steps in the right direction. Pilot integration of AI in intelligence analysis, maritime domain awareness and border surveillance is underway in select commands.
However, structural challenges remain.
First, defense innovation in India must move beyond procurement-driven modernization to design-driven transformation. AI systems can’t just be imported and plugged in. They should be trained on the local terrain, languages, behavior patterns and threat signatures. Indigenous data sets are strategic assets. Building a secure, sovereign defense data architecture is essential.
Second, civil-military fusion needs to be deepened. The most transformative AI breakthroughs globally have emerged from collaborations between academia, private enterprise, and defense establishments. Through initiatives like iDEX, more than 400 defense startups are now engaged in developing technologies ranging from AI-enabled drones to autonomous surveillance systems, although scaling these solutions remains the next challenge. India’s universities, IITs, startups and established technology firms should be more organically integrated with the armed forces. Defense problem statements should be opened up in a controlled framework to encourage solution development by young innovators.
Third, theory must evolve along with technology. AI-powered systems can recommend actions at speeds beyond human cognition. Yet in a democracy, ultimate accountability rests with human decision makers. India should develop clear operational principles that define the rules of human surveillance, escalation control and participation in AI-assisted warfare. Learning from the NATO framework and international discussions on responsible military AI could help shape stronger guidelines.
Fourth, India should invest not only in applications but also in basic research. Advanced machine learning models, edge computing for battlefield environments, secure communications, and flexible semiconductor supply chains are not optional. Those are strategic imperatives. Relying excessively on foreign hardware or proprietary algorithms introduces vulnerabilities. Research and development expenditure in defense AI should be viewed as a long-term national investment, not a short-term expenditure. More than 75% of advanced semiconductor manufacturing capacity is concentrated in East Asia, highlighting the strategic risks of hardware dependency in AI-enabled defense systems.
Fifth, equal emphasis should be placed on cybersecurity and counter AI capabilities. With global cybercrime losses estimated to exceed $10 trillion annually, algorithmic resilience and protection against adversarial AI attacks is becoming as important as kinetic deterrence. As India integrates AI into defense systems, adversaries will attempt to disrupt, impair or poison those systems. Building flexible, explainable, and auditable AI models is essential. The battlefield of the future will involve adversarial attacks on the algorithms themselves.
At the same time, India should stick to its democratic ethos. In contrast to the authoritarian model of surveillance and control, India’s approach to AI in defense must balance effectiveness with accountability. Transparency, ethical oversight and parliamentary scrutiny are not barriers to procurement. They are sources of legitimacy and strategic strength.
There are also unique opportunities in the Indian context. AI-powered sensor networks and predictive analytics can greatly benefit border management in high altitude areas. Maritime security in the Indian Ocean region can be enhanced by AI-powered anomaly detection in shipping patterns. Counterterrorism operations can take advantage of advanced pattern recognition while respecting civil liberties through calibrated security measures.
Importantly, defense AI should not be isolated from the broader innovation ecosystem. Technologies developed for military use often spill over into civilian applications. GPS, the Internet, and satellite imaging are examples. Similarly, AI systems designed for logistics optimization or disaster response in military settings could strengthen civilian infrastructure. A dual-use innovation mindset will multiply returns.
India can also play a constructive global role. As a leading voice of the Global South and a leading democracy, India can advocate for international norms that prevent destabilizing autonomous arms races while enabling responsible innovation. Participation in multilateral fora to shape standards on military AI, transparency and confidence-building measures will enhance India’s strategic position.
Ultimately, AI deterrence in defense is about reliability. With the global AI market projected to exceed $1.5 trillion by 2030, technological asymmetry will rapidly translate into strategic asymmetry. In a world where conflicts spanning cyber, information, and kinetic domains are becoming increasingly hybrid, technological asymmetry may invite aggression. A technologically confident India strengthens regional stability.
AI India Impact Summit 2026 highlights India’s ambition to lead in human-centric AI. In defense, this translates into a simple principle. Technology should enhance strategic decision making, not replace it. Algorithms can speed up analysis, but the ethical and political responsibility must remain human.
India stands at a defining moment. With its demographic strength, growing industrial base, and growing geopolitical weight, it has the ingredients to become a serious AI defense power. The way forward demands investment, institutional reform, moral clarity and international engagement.
In the coming decades, military power will be measured not only in tanks and planes, but also in terabytes processed per second and decisions taken in milliseconds. Nations that combine technological sophistication with strategic restraint will shape the balance of power.
India must ensure that it is included among them.
This article is written by Major Akash Mor (Retd), Strategic Management Consultant and Sumit Kaushik, Social Impact and Public Policy Consultant.
