Foundations of military AI and India’s strategic imperative

This article is authored by Zain Pandit, partner and Aashna Nahar, associate, JSA Advocates and Solicitors.

Military Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to any technology or system that replicates intelligent human behavior in military operations. It includes everything from autonomous drones and missile guidance to data analysis, logistics, and intelligence gathering. Put simply, any application of AI to enhance, automate, or transform defence capabilities falls within this scope. Integrating AI has become a critical element of defence modernisation plans worldwide. Defence experts often compare the advent of military AI to past revolutionary technologies—such as aircraft or nuclear weapons—for its potential to shift strategic balances and redefine security paradigms.

AI (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Globally, major defence powers such as the US and China are pouring resources into military AI projects, each striving to maintain a technological edge. China’s doctrine of ‘intelligentised warfare’ places emphasis on autonomous platforms, while the US has restricted semiconductor exports to slow rival progress and launched joint initiatives with allies to maintain its edge.

India’s ministry of fefence has responded by establishing key bodies to fast-track AI adoption. The Defence AI Council (DAIC), chaired by the defence minister and comprising service chiefs, cybersecurity experts, DRDO, industry, and academia, meets biannually to guide policy, operational frameworks, and structural support for defense AI initiatives. Complementing this is the Defence AI Project Agency (DAIPA), led by the secretary (Defence Production), which includes members from the services, DPSUs, DRDO, academia, and industry. DAIPA sets standards for AI project development and reviews adoption plans with user groups.

Launched in October 2024 by the Chief of Defence Staff and DRDO Chairman, the ETAI Framework focuses on five principles: reliability, safety, transparency, fairness, and privacy. This framework aims to ensure that any AI system deployed by the military is robust against adversarial attacks and unintended consequences. This shows DRDO’s recognition that having cutting edge AI is not enough. The AI must also be trustworthy and secure.

However, transparency remains a major challenge. AI systems—especially those based on machine learning—can function as black boxes, with decision-making processes that are hard to explain. In military settings, this opacity can erode trust. Soldiers may hesitate to act on AI recommendations they don’t understand. Transparency is also essential for accountability. Investigating erroneous AI actions requires audit trails, logs, and explainable AI models.

Using autonomous weapons that cannot be guaranteed to comply with distinction between combatants and civilians risk violating International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Similarly, the principle of proportionality—weighing civilian damage against military advantage—is deeply contextual and often subjective judgment. Programming an algorithm to make such judgments may be difficult. The United Nations has, therefore, emphasised that humans must remain in control and that IHL fully applies to AI in warfare. Before deploying new AI weapons, India must assess if their use complies with IHL.

Despite progress, there remain significant gaps in India’s defence AI readiness. Additionally, inter-agency coordination is a work in progress. Multiple bodies—including the DAIC, NITI Aayog’s AI team, MeitY’s AI division, and the armed forces’ own AI cells—are involved, but a streamlined co-ordination mechanism is not yet fully realized. In terms of infrastructure, challenges persist as well. While many projects are promising, the overall computational resources and data ecosystems available to defence AI researchers in India are still limited relative to global peers. India must ensure access to large datasets (while protecting security and privacy) and sufficient testing and evaluation facilities for AI systems.

With the right investments in governance, infrastructure, and talent, India is well-positioned to emerge as a global leader in responsible and strategic defence AI innovation.

This article is authored by Zain Pandit, partner and Aashna Nahar, associate, JSA Advocates and Solicitors.