Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan said on Saturday that artificial intelligence will shape future warfare and help the armed forces make the right and timely decisions to emerge victorious in conflicts. He added that operating AI systems for the Army will require a dedicated force in the future.
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2026, he said AI already plays a key role in ongoing conflicts, including decision support, targeting, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
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“Military power has so far relied on platforms like aircraft, tanks and ships/submarines, but today you also need data, networks, integration and intelligence. Artificial intelligence will play a major role in tomorrow’s warfare, as will autonomous systems,” Chouhan said in a session titled ‘The Technological Triad: Power, Autonomy and Power in the Data-Centric Age’.
CDS touched on how artificial intelligence helps military leaders make the right decisions and influence the outcomes of combat.
“Fighting today is very complex. It takes place in multiple domains and worlds, including physical, artificial and cognitive domains. Without automated systems, making timely decisions becomes very difficult. In any combat situation, if you want to win, two things are crucial – timely decisions and the right decisions. AI helps us do that,” Chouhan said.
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A significant amount of energy will be needed to operate these systems, CDS noted, adding that energy is closely linked to artificial intelligence and autonomy.
“India is taking baby steps towards AI… We have not yet determined how we want to use it. So it would be a bit premature to say that autonomous power structures are a must to meet the Army’s AI needs. But a dedicated force will be needed to operate the Army’s AI systems in the future,” he added, responding to a question on whether militaries need autonomous power infrastructure to keep mission-critical AI systems resilient.
