Eyes on niche tech, Army chief labels drones 'new challenge'

There is no doubt that the June 27 attack by drones inside a secure IAF base in Jammu and its implications has set off alarm bells in India’s security establishment. The attack is also being seen as a wake-up call to fast devise and integrate niche tech, writes senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi: These are interesting times as disruptive technologies from Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analytics, and Machine Learning (ML) to autonomous and unmanned systems are fast becoming buzzwords in the world of military technology even as India makes its own preparations.

Giving a wake-up call on Thursday, Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane has said the easy availability of drones with its usage by both state and non-state actors has increased the complexity of challenges faced by the security forces. Building drones was like a “DIY project that could be tackled at home”, he said.

More specifically, it was the chief’s way of reminding of the imminent danger posed by drones, two of which had dropped explosives inside a secure IAF base in Jammu on June 27 (Tuesday).

Drawing on recent international examples, Gen Naravane said: “The imaginative and offensive use of drones, riding on AI algorithms, first in Idlib and then in Armenia-Azerbaijan, have challenged the traditional military hardware of war: the tanks, the artillery and the dug in infantry.”

The army chief was speaking at a seminar “Applications of Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning” organized by a think-tank Global Counter-Terrorism Council (GCTC).

“AI, is today the modern, holy grail of technology, with far-reaching implications on the nature of geo-politics and geo-strategics. By way of impact and influence, it will exceed the Industrial Revolution by several orders of magnitude,” he said.

“The Indian Army is seized of the need to exploit the immense capabilities and powers of AI. Based on the recommendations of the National Task Force on AI set up in 2018, the Indian Army has also streamlined the proliferation and implementation of its AI driven plans and schemes. We have identified some select AI technologies and are progressing them based on domain specialisations within the organisation.”

Pointing out some initiatives, Gen Naravane said that a data governance policy has been framed to streamline the flow of data for usage in various AI applications besides creation of a Centre of Excellence for AI at MCTE, Mhow along with an AI lab.

However, Gen Naravane also cautioned on the ethical dimensions of such emerging military technologies that could produce unintended consequences if they fail to perform as anticipated.

“These consequences could range from system failure to violations of the Law of Armed Conflict. Human Rights groups warn of a robotic arms race without regard for international law.”

Holding out a scary scenario akin to out-of-control ‘killer robots’ running amok as depicted in many science fiction movies, the chief said: “There are significant legal and moral implications as the system carries the risk of making dangerous errors. There are serious reservations about the abuse of AI powered robots, in war or even for peacetime security.”