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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
AI in the military: Path to ethical and strategic leadership
With defence emerging as one of AI's most sensitive applications, a blend of innovation and responsibility is vital. India is laying the groundwork for responsible use of AI in defence, which is being led by key institutions like the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), NITI Aayog, and ministry of electronics and IT (MeitY). AI(Unsplash) To ensure ethical oversight, the DRDO launched the ETAI framework for evaluating trustworthy AI. At its essence, the framework aims to tackle difficult questions such as legality, safety, and human control, right from the start of a system's development and through its lifecycle. The framework is modular, incorporating internal ethical assessments and formalised reviews based on the risk level of the technology. DRDO's goal here is to entrench responsibility into every stage of AI development and not treat it as an afterthought. The ETAI framework stands on five key pillars: Reliability, safety, transparency, fairness, and privacy: Reliability: System performance needs to be accurate, even in chaotic or unfamiliar battlefield scenarios. Safety: Guardrails against unintended consequences, particularly with autonomous machines. Transparency: Human commanders should have the ability trace and understand decision chains. Fairness: Algorithmic biases should not influence critical decisions. Privacy: Protects sensitive data from unauthorised access. The more autonomous and impactful an AI system is, the more rigorous its review. For example, a chatbot used for internal training would not require the same oversight as a drone with live targeting capabilities. In 2021, NITI Aayog also laid out a framework that aligns AI development with India's constitutional ethos, in particular Article 14 (Right to equality) and 21 (Right to life and personal liberty). The seven principles it emphasised are: * Safety and reliability * Equality * Inclusivity and non-discrimination * Privacy and security * Transparency * Accountability * Reinforcement of positive human values Although originally aimed at civilian sectors like health care, these principles are just as relevant for defence. After all, the ethical implications of facial recognition, predictive analytics, and autonomous systems remain just as relevant to military use. While the policy framed by DRDO and Niti Aayog appears to be robust and well—thought out, turning paper policy into practice is where the real challenge lies. Since these principles lack legal enforceability, co-ordination between agencies and ethical AI frameworks remains limited. As a result, many projects operate in silos, making comprehensive ethical oversight a challenge. More recently (in 2024), MeitY launched the IndiaAI Mission with over ₹10,000 crore in funding. This is meant to support researchers and companies who need heavy compute power for AI training. A big part of this initiative is (Artificial Intelligence Research, Analytics, and Knowledge Assimilation Platform (AIRAWAT), a public compute cloud designed to support India's AI needs, especially for startups and public agencies. In practice, AIRAWAT provides a cloud platform where developers can access massive computational power for training AI models. This can be directly beneficial for defence applications such as simulation training, image intelligence analysis, or building large language models for military use, which require supercomputing resources. While the ministry of defence, MeitY, and NITI Aayog are all making strides, their efforts are largely siloed. India needs a unified platform to align goals, streamline operations, and ensure ethical consistency. Key recommendations include: Setting up of a Defence AI Regulatory Authority with clear legal powers Making ethical and risk-based assessments mandatory in all defence AI procurements Expand AIRAWAT-like infrastructure specifically for secure military testing environments Build structured collaboration between DRDO, MeitY, and NITI Aayog It is clear that India has laid the foundation for responsible AI use in defence. It now needs to bring it all together. As countries in the Global South look for models that balance innovation with ethics, India has an opportunity to lead—not just by building powerful tools, but by using them wisely and lawfully. This article is authored by Zain Pandit, partner and Aashna Nahar, associate, JSA Advocates and Solicitors.
India Today
3 days ago
- Business
- India Today
How UP is foraying into AI-based governance
The Uttar Pradesh government is making an ambitious push to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) across sectors ranging from governance, education and policing to healthcare and agriculture. In recent months, it has launched a series of initiatives that, if carried out as planned, could turn India's most populous state into a key hub of AI innovation and of the most high-profile efforts is the plan to develop Lucknow as the country's first 'AI City'. Under the central government's IndiaAI Mission, a tech ecosystem worth Rs 10,732 crore is being set up in the capital, featuring an AI innovation centre, over 10,000 GPUs and language models designed to work in multiple Indian languages. The state government claims this will be the largest technology infrastructure of its kind in the state is also working on a draft AI policy, aligned with the Centre's Vision 2047 plan, and has trained officials from over 30 departments in the use of AI tools. In welfare delivery, AI is being used to flag irregularities in the direct benefit transfer (DBT) system and improve detection of major initiative is 'AI Pragya', which aims to train over 1 million people, including youth, teachers, gram pradhans, government staff and farmers, in AI and related technologies. The training programmes, run in partnership with Microsoft, Google, Intel and Guvi, focus on practical skills such as machine learning, cyber-security and data analytics, with industry certifications built in. The government says it is targeting 150,000 trainees per month. In law enforcement and surveillance, AI has already been deployed in 17 municipal corporations and Gautam Buddh Nagar. These systems include facial recognition, vehicle tracking, CCTV-based alert mechanisms and integration with the state's 112 emergency helpline. In 70 jails, an AI system called Jarvis is being used for 24x7 monitoring of is another focus area. Under the UP Agris project, supported by the World Bank and with a budget of Rs 4,000 crore, around 1 million farmers are being connected to tools like drone-based mapping, pest detection, smart irrigation and online market platforms. The project also involves 10,000 women's self-help groups as key the revenue and mining departments, AI is being applied to manage land records, reduce disputes and track illegal mining. Technologies such as satellite imaging, RFID tags and AI-enabled weighbridges are being used to monitor resource extraction across 25 healthcare, the state recently set up India's first AI-based breast cancer screening centre in Fatehpur. A memorandum of understanding with IBM has led to free AI and cloud computing courses being launched in 500 engineering colleges under the Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University. AI is also being tested for pharmaceutical research and analytics in public health state government claims to have positioned AI not just as a technology tool but to drive better governance, citizen engagement and economic opportunity. While many of these efforts are still in early stages or pilot phases, they reflect a broader shift towards tech-based solutions in how the state approaches effectively these AI-driven systems work on the ground, and how accessible they remain to people in smaller towns and rural areas will likely determine whether the state's experiment with AI becomes a long-term to India Today Magazine- Ends
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Plan to develop Lucknow as India's 1st AI City gets ₹10,732-crore push
The state capital has received a corpus of ₹10,732 crore for developing the AI ecosystem under the IndiaAI Mission approved in March 2024. The move comes at a time when plans are afoot to develop Lucknow as the country's first AI City. According to the state government, this investment is 67% higher than any other technology infrastructure in the country. (FOR REPRESENTATION) The initiative is part of a major push to develop Uttar Pradesh as the new IT destination. The proposed investment is meant for 10,000 Graphics Processing Units, multi-modal language models and an AI innovation center. The state government will soon come up with the draft AI policy in line with Vision 2047. According to the state government, this investment is 67% higher than any other technology infrastructure in the country. Apart from this, a high-tech AI-based traffic management system is being proposed for Lucknow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, Varanasi, is already in the process of implementing an AI-enabled smart traffic system. Under the state government's flagship initiative, AI Pragya, over 10 lakh youths, teachers, gram pradhans, government employees, and farmers are being trained in AI, machine learning, data analytics and cybersecurity in partnership with tech giants like Microsoft, Intel, Google, and Guvi. The state government aims to train 1.5 lakh people every month, with industry-ready certifications part of the programme. AI-powered systems such as CCTV surveillance, facial recognition, number plate tracking, and SOS alert systems have been implemented in 17 municipal corporations and Gautam Buddh Nagar. These are directly integrated with the 112 helpline and police control rooms. Additionally, the 'Jarvis' AI monitoring system is active in 70 prisons, ensuring 24x7 surveillance of inmates. Under the UP Agris Project, 10 lakh farmers are being connected to AI-based technologies such as smart irrigation, drone mapping, pest detection, and digital market access. The initiative also involves 10,000 women's self-help groups as active partners. In the revenue department, satellite imaging and AI algorithms are being used for land consolidation and record management. This has enabled accurate digital mapping, transparent land distribution, and reduction of disputes. To protect mineral resources, 57 unmanned AI enabled check gates have been set up across 25 districts. Illegal mining is being monitored using RFID tags, geofencing, and AI camera-equipped weighbridges. In the healthcare sector, the country's first AI-based breast cancer screening centre has been established in Fatehpur, according to the state government.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Give wings to India's chip dreams, minister tells students
India aims to produce its first commercial semiconductor chip by year-end, according to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Speaking at IIT Hyderabad's convocation, where 1,273 students graduated, he noted that eight student-designed chips were successfully 'taped out'. HYDERABAD: India is aiming to produce its first commercial-scale semiconductor chip by year-end, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, adding that eight out of 20 chips designed by students - including some from IIT Hyderabad, were succesfully 'taped out'. Taping out signifies the completion of a chip's design phase and commencement of its manufacturing process. The union minister was addressing IITH students during the institute's convocation ceremony held on Friday. A total of 1,273 students received their degrees. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad "You are entering a period of uncertainty, but also opportunity. There is huge turmoil in the outside world, but your foundation and value system will lead our country forward." He mentioned developments under the India AI Mission and said India built its own 4G telecom stack, which is ready to be upgraded to 5G. Speaking about railways, he referred to Kavach, an automatic train protection system developed in Hyderabad and now being implemented across the country. B S Murty, Director, said, "IITH was granted the status of Institute of National Eminence and recorded its highest annual research and development funding in 2024-25." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Walmart Cameras Captured These Hilarious 20 Photos Undo He also highlighted the graduation of students from newly introduced programmes focused on emerging areas of science and technology. Rahul Ramachandran, a student of the dept of computer science and engineering, was awarded the President of India's Gold Medal. The convocation marked the graduation of first batches from several new programmes: BTech in biotech and bioinformatics, computational engineering, and industrial chemistry; MTech in quantum and solid-state devices and sustainable engineering; MSc in medical physics; and the first PhD scholar in AI.
News18
6 days ago
- Business
- News18
India ready share AI models with Global South: IT Secretary S Krishnan
New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) The Indian government is open to sharing its AI models with the Global South after achieving reasonable capacity and scale, a senior government official said on Friday. While speaking at FICCI's conference Bhashantara 2025, Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan said that the development of technology for languages to help people communicate in a frictionless manner can lead to huge value addition to the economy. He said that the UN Under-Secretary-General, during a visit to India, had appreciated India's AI-related works. 'We had a discussion and then he said your model appears interesting. At a stage when you have adequate capacity both in terms of compute and in terms of the kind of models that you have, will you be willing to share this with the Global South? This is something that we have declared that we are open to doing and something that we will do," Krishnan said. The Global South term refers to developing and less-developed countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America regions. The government has launched the Bhashini project for the development of AI-based language translation technology. Krishnan said most people in the country would prefer to communicate through voice as opposed to in writing. 'I think voice-based communication has a critical role to play and that is where India can truly lead. The minute you say it is voice, then it means that you have to pick it up in the language that they are most comfortable with and what they would like to speak in. This is clearly the challenge that there are a number of researchers, a number of innovators and others who are addressing nationwide," he said. Krishnan said that through the India AI Mission, the government is making available more computing capacity and more data sets. 'If you are able to sort of reduce the friction loss, if you are able to reduce the communication loss and the way that people communicate to each other, that in itself results in a huge wastage going away. I think that's where this entire effort is so important, particularly in a multilingual and multicultural society like India," he said. FICCI's Multilingual Internet and Universal Acceptance Committee Chairman, Ajay Data said that domain names are now available in all official Indian languages. 'With more than 6 billion people globally not speaking English as their primary language and India home to 19,500 languages and dialects, data emphasised the vast commercial opportunities that lay ahead," he said. Data said that website names in local scripts will ease communication for the vernacular masses. PTI PRS PRS MR view comments First Published: July 25, 2025, 20:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
