AI, autonomous systems to play decisive role in future conflicts: CDS

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan highlighted AI's growing importance in modern warfare, stating that AI and autonomous systems will be decisive in future conflicts and are already influencing combat in targeting and ISR.

Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, highlighted the growing importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in modern warfare, stating that AI and autonomous systems are expected to play a decisive role in future conflicts. Speaking during a session at the Raisina Dialogue 2026 on Saturday, the CDS discussed the evolving nature of warfare and said that while AI remains an emerging technology in the military domain, it is already beginning to influence ongoing conflicts through applications such as decision support, targeting, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

AI's Current and Future Impact on Warfare

"The importance of AI in warfare is emerging now. It's a new thing, but shortly it's already playing a major role in ongoing conflicts also. Artificial intelligence is playing a major role in condition support, targeting, ISR, and number of such issues," CDS Chauhan said.

He noted that traditionally, military strength was measured by the number and capability of platforms such as tanks, aircraft, ships and submarines. However, he said that the character of warfare is changing, and modern combat now also relies heavily on data, networks, integration and intelligence.

The Evolution of Modern Combat

"So till now you could say warfare was something, or military might was something based on platforms you had, qualities and quantities of platforms -- tanks, aircrafts, ships, submarines. But today I think apart from that you need data, networks, integration and intelligence," CDS Chauhan said.

According to CDS the expansion of warfare across these domains has made timely decision-making more critical than ever, adding that automated systems powered by AI can help militaries make faster and more effective decisions during combat situations. He emphasised that success in future warfare will depend not only on conventional platforms but also on the ability to integrate artificial intelligence, data and autonomous systems to support rapid decision-making on the battlefield.

"So artificial intelligence is going to play a major role in warfare tomorrow and so would be autonomous systems. Combat today is very very complex, happening in physical realm, happening in synthetic realm, happening in cognitive realm, multiple domains. Domains itself expanded, so unless you have automated systems which was very very difficult to take decisions right on time. And I think in any combat situation you want to win a combat there are only two situations, one is timely decision making and artificial intelligence and autonomy," said CDS Chauhan. (ANI)

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