On Thursday, March 27th, the Observer Research Foundation organized another edition of its National Security Dialogue on "The Strategic Role of AI in India's Military Preparedness."
Rahul Sharma, Director of Regional and International Projects and Asfia Kulsoom, Project Associate for International and Regional Projects at the International Youth Edu-Skills Foundation (IYESF), joined the dialogue at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.
The conference began with a welcome from the moderator, Anulekha Nandi, a Fellow at ORF. The esteemed panelists for the conference included Lt. Gen. (Dr.) R.S. Panwar, Distinguished Fellow at USI of India; Mrinal Tayal, CEO/Co-Founder of Almerio Defence and Aerospace LLP; Major Rajprasad R.S., OIC Indian Army Cell, Army Design Bureau; and Gunjan Chawla, Legal Adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross, New Delhi Regional Delegation.
The panel discussion began with the moderator asking the panelists how one balances innovation, competition, and the risks associated with AI development moving forward.
Lt. Gen. (Dr.) R.S. Panwar, the first panelist of the evening, emphasized that the risks of AI differ between civilian and military domains. In the civilian domain, the risks, driven by factors such as gender bias, racial bias, and privacy concerns, are focused on human rights. In the military domain, however, the primary concern is International Humanitarian Law.
Moving to the next panelist, Major Rajprasad R.S. mentioned that he would be presenting his points from the perspective of a service innovator. He then highlighted a few aspects of the challenges and limitations faced during AI adoption, including:
Limited availability of digital data
High cost of AI systems
Fragmented AI solutions
He concluded by recommending that AI development requires a comprehensive governing framework from innovation to induction.
Next, Mrinal Tayal, the second-to-last panelist, began her remarks by stating that the race to AI is not just about innovation but also control. She stressed the need for a macro perspective and a proactive approach to fully understand the situation.
The final speaker, Gunjan Chawla, shared her perspective on the humanitarian risks involved in the integration of AI into the military. She noted that one natural risk arising from the shortening OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) loop, due to AI integration, is that the time available for human decision-making also contracts. While relying on AI to reduce human error, we are putting operators under immense pressure to make decisions at the speed of AI.
She also emphasized an important point: a great way to mitigate humanitarian risks would be to conduct a legal review of new weapons to assess their ability to comply with the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution.
The discussion was followed by a Q&A session, and the event concluded with remarks from the moderator.
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