Washington, May 9 The United States and India must step up cooperation in artificial intelligence and defence as warfare shifts to data and algorithms, experts said.
Speaking at a US-India forum, Vivek Lall, Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Cooperation, and Lt Gen (Retd) Raj Shukla said the nature of war is changing fast. The session was moderated by Sameer Lalwani of the Special Competitive Studies Project.
Shukla said AI is already shaping the battlefield. “AI is not futuristic… algorithmic warfare is arrived, and it will change the workflows of combat forever,” he said.
He said militaries must adapt quickly. “Military is conservative organizations don't update their process once a year… in Ukraine… software innovations are being delivered every two weeks, hardware every four weeks,” he said.
He called for a major shift in defence systems. “Departments of Defense… now need to operate as software companies,” he said.
Shukla said India needs stronger debate and thinking on these issues. “Ideation in these domains in India has to strengthen,” he said.
Lall said no country can lead alone in new technologies. “No one country has remarked on the best ideas,” he said.
He said the US and India together can deliver results. He pointed to the need for cooperation across industry and academia. “Universities vocational institutes… play a great role, because at the end of the day, it's global talent,” he said.
Lall listed key areas for joint work. These include data sharing, training, and control of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Shukla also flagged the cost factor in modern war. “For every $1 that the Iranians spent… it took the Americans… $28 to intercept,” he said.
He said India must break silos across sectors. “Civil, military, private sector, government Academy… operated in science,” he said.
Both speakers said the partnership is at a key moment. Lall said, “We’re at an inflection point,” and added that the next decade could see “a lot of co development work… a lot of co production work.”
The United States and India have expanded defence ties over the past two decades. This includes joint exercises and technology partnerships.
AI and emerging technologies are now central to the relationship. Both countries are working to build capabilities in data, autonomous systems and next-generation warfare.
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