Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

India to Showcase AI-Enabled Defence Technologies And Applications

The event will provide a platform to innovators, start-ups, and research organisations to engage with end users   
July 9, 2022
Defence

The Department of Defence Production is organising the first-ever ‘Artificial Intelligence in Defence’ (AIDef) symposium and exhibition on Monday at the Vigyan Bhawan, where AI-enabled technologies and applications will be unveiled.

The exhibition will showcase the cutting-edge AI-enabled solutions developed by the services, research organisations, industry, start-ups, and innovators. Some of the products that will be unveiled will be subsequently launched in the market.

Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar while briefing about the event said 75 newly-developed AI products and technologies that have applications in the defence sector, will be launched as part of the celebrations marking 75 years of India’s independence and ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. The symposium and exhibition will also serve as an opportunity to showcase the ‘Aatmanirbharta’ initiative in the defence sector that is being promoted by the government.

He further said that the products that will be unveiled are in the domains of automation, unmanned and robotics systems, cybersecurity, human behaviour analysis, intelligent monitoring system, logistics and supply chain management, speech and voice analysis and Command, Control, Communication, Computer and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems and operational data analytics. In addition, two top defence exporters one each from the public and private sector will be felicitated during the event.

“Besides, 75 products will be launched, another 100 are in various stages of development. Nature of modern warfare is changing, and AI will play a significant role in warfare. These products are tested and soon to be deployed in the safety and security of the nation,” said Kumar.

Additional Secretary Sanjay Jaju, in response to a question, said that defence exports have crossed the highest ever figure of ₹13,000 crore in the financial year 2021-22, with 70% contribution coming from the private sector and the remaining 30% from the public sector.

The event will also host panel discussions on ‘Deploying AI in Defence’, ‘GenNext AI solutions’ and ‘AI in Defence – Industry Perspective’. The panel discussions will feature personnel from the armed forces, academia, students, research organisations and industry. For students, a competition titled ‘GenNext AI Solutions’ will be also organised for developing futuristic AI solutions. The developers of top three ideas presented at the competition will be felicitated by the organisers.

The event is likely to be attended by dignitaries from friendly foreign countries, senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and other ministries of the Government of India, and representatives from research institutes, academia, and the industry.

It may be recalled that an AI task force on defence was established in 2018 to provide a road map for promoting AI in defence. Acting on its recommendations, a Defence AI Council, headed by is defence minister is spearheading the effort.