The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force of the Ministry of Defence
led by Chairman Mr N. Chandrasekaran on 30 June submitted its final report to the
Defence
Minister Ms Nirmala Sitharaman
on using AI for military advancements.
A statement
published by the Ministry of Defence quoted the report saying that
the Task Force has studied the development in the artificial intelligence and
machine learning sectors in India, both in general and specific contexts of
defence needs.
The Task Force stated that its
mission is to leverage AI for economic benefit, to create policy and legal
framework that will accelerate the deployment of AI technologies in several
sectors in the country and to provide recommendations for specific government, industry
and research programs.
The government said it intends to use the country's strong
IT industry and its large number of engineers for military advancement and noted
that the Ministry has already initiated the process of preparing Indian defence
forces in their use of AI.
In the statement, the Ministry said
that artificial intelligence has the potential to have a transformative impact
on national security. It is also mentioned that artificial intelligence is
essentially a dual-use technology; it can fuel technology-driven economic
growth and has the potential to provide military superiority.
The
Task Force that was set up in February 2018, studied a whole range
of issues regarding the strategic implications of AI from a national security
perspective as well as in the context of the world. The report expounded on the
Task Force’s idea of AI, the sectors in which AI can be leveraged in the
country, and the challenges and ethical factors that need to be taken into
consideration. The report concluded with a list of policy recommendations for
the government in ways it can leverage AI over the next five years.
Apart from military, the report outlined nine other areas
that would benefit from advancements in AI, namely, manufacturing, fintech,
health, agriculture, technology for the differently-abled, environment, public
utility services, retail and customer relationships and education.
According to the press release, the report said that the
government plans to use AI to make India a significant power of AI in defence, particularly
in the areas of aviation, naval, land systems, cyber, nuclear, and biological
warfare.
The report made recommendations for policy and institutional
interventions that are required to regulate and encourage robust AI-based
technologies for the defence sector in the country.
In India, AI work is mainly carried out in the private sector;
hence the report recommended the collaboration between the government and start-ups
and commercial industries in the field of use of AI for defence purposes.
The release said that the Task
Force held deliberations with all its stakeholder representatives, including
officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, and representatives
of all Defence Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).