Relevance (UPSC GS-III: Security—Science & Tech; GS-II: International Relations; Ethics in warfare)

What’s the story?

Reports suggest China could fuse large AI models like DeepSeek with robot dogs, loitering munitions, and swarm drones. The idea is to use AI for target recognition, mission planning, and real-time coordination, creating fast, low-cost, and scalable combat systems. This changes the rhythm of war: machines can sense–decide–act quicker than humans.

Why it matters for India

• Border & maritime security: AI-enabled swarms can saturate air defences along the LAC and in the Indian Ocean.
  
• Escalation risks: Algorithmic errors, data poisoning, and unpredictable emergent behaviour make accidents more likely.
  
• Law and ethics: Autonomy raises questions under International Humanitarian Law (distinction, proportionality, accountability).
  
• Industrial response: India’s push through iDEX, SPRINT, Defence Acquisition Procedure, and DRDO programmes aims at counter-UAS, anti-swarm jammers, and AI-enabled ISR.
  

How such systems work (plain view)

• Swarm autonomy: Many small drones share data using mesh networks, divide tasks (decoys, jammers, strikers), and adapt mid-mission.
  
• Robot dogs: Ground platforms with stabilised weapons for room clearing, tunnel recon, or logistics.
  
• Foundational models: Tools like DeepSeek can compress terrain, weather, and threat data into fast plans; the human sets goals and rules of engagement.
  

What India should prioritise

• Counter-swarm doctrine: layered radar–EO sensors, directed-energy, RF jamming, hard-kill guns/missiles.
  
• Trusted AI: red-teaming, fail-safes, human-on-the-loop controls, certified datasets.
  
• Standards & law: clear use-of-force authorisation, audit trails, and support for global norms on autonomous weapons.
  
• Make in India: swarm-grade chips, flight controllers, and secure comms via start-up clusters.
  

Exam hook

Answer with (1) capability shifts (swarms/robot dogs + AI), (2) risks (escalation, errors), (3) India’s response (tech + doctrine + norms), (4) way forward (counter-swarm, trusted AI, procurement).

UPSC Prelims question

With reference to AI-enabled swarm drones, which of the following is/are correct?

1. They use distributed networking so that loss of the lead drone does not collapse the group.
   
2. Human-on-the-loop implies a human can intervene or abort missions during execution.
   
3. Directed-energy weapons can be part of a counter-swarm layer.
   Select the correct answer using the code below:
   (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
   Answer: (d)
   

One-line wrap
The future battlespace is faster and cheaper—India must pair smart swarms with smarter safeguards and stronger counters.