Introduction
Our territories are always vulnerable to be under attack by any of our neighboring countries or enemies especially at the borders and soldiers are the protecting units standing there continuously to keep the citizens safe 24×7 even at the cost of their own lives. We have been witnessing numerous cases ever since India got its independence where they had to sacrifice their lives in huge numbers in several wars and terrorist attacks for protecting the land and its people. But in the present scenario, things seem to be changing as the applications of Artificial Intelligence have covered almost every aspect of our lives, the same has been happening in the defence sector – “the backbone of every country”. The use of AI and Robotics is bringing a revolutionary modification in the defence sector and certainly, ROBOTS will become the saviour of the saviours! For protecting the lives of those who protect us, Robots will soon be replacing humans on surveillance. Not only they will take the place of human soldiers serving in high-risk areas, but will also reduce the risks by detecting, proving early warning, and combatting every possible near-coming threat by the use of Smart and Intelligent AI-empowered weapons and surveillance systems.
An Overview of “what’s happening globally”
The Global AI Military Expenditure is estimated to be $1917 Billion according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute report. Countries like U.S.A. and China have already adopted Robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies in their defence systems and we are already getting to hear about a lot of saved lives of soldiers who used to guard highly vulnerable areas before the deployment of Robot saviours in there, from these countries as AI is becoming a key component and power multiplier in their defence systems. We recently saw the Iron dome rocket destroyers used by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for detecting and destroying rockets launched by Hamas in the World’s First Artificial Intelligence War. Many countries have made special departments to implement AI and develop new capabilities such as The National Science and Technology Council in the U.S.A, the Strategic Council of Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Japan. Indeed, AI is going to transform warfare in the future!
What is happening in India?
In India, NITI Aayog with support from the Ministry of defence published a White Paper titled National Strategy for AI for strategic implementation of Artificial Intelligence for National Security and defence. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has set up a specialized laboratory for this purpose called the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) with about 150 great research scientists, which focuses on AI robot control systems, command control communication, intelligence (C3I) networking and communication secrecy systems. They produced a series of robots for surveillance and reconnaissance applications too. Further, a miniaturized man-portable UGV for low-intensity conflicts, wall climbing flapping-wing robots, and walking robots with 4 and 6 legs for logistic support have also been developed to support the military in multiple ways. All of these AI-empowered robots have surpassed all human capabilities and will prove to be more powerful saviours.
Conclusion
These advancements in the defence sector with the help of Artificial Intelligence will making our soldiers less vulnerable, more futuristic, and super ready for any kind of conflict, insurgency, or war. Although the use of AI in the defence sector has the potential to become a major threat to humanity as the chances of damages will increase If it is not used sustainably. The broader picture for sure shows happy and satisfactory conditions for soldiers and their families as there will be no need to sacrifice the life of human soldiers by putting them in dangerous circumstances as the robots will take the charge and control the situation. Additionally, unimaginable capabilities to protect the country are also found as creativity is combining with the utility of such high-end technology. A lot was seen at the World Robotics Championship in India where the youth was there with Smart & Creative Defensive Robots in the WRC INNOVATION CHALLENGE worthy enough to be incorporated in defence of ours in the future.