(RoyalPatriot.com )- The United States and India have agreed to talks to discuss artificial intelligence and its use in national security.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with India’s Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar where they agreed to the launch the inaugural Defense Artificial Intelligence Dialogue.
According to Jack Shanahan, the Pentagon’s first director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, the prospect of talks between the US and India is a “very significant event” and a “logical extension” of the US/India Artificial Intelligence initiative (USIAI) that was launched last year.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Secretary Austin had an opportunity to discuss working with India on artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies with Defense Minister Singh. Kirby said the meeting provided “concrete examples” of how the US would work with India “to strengthen this defense partnership.”
Little else is known about the April 11 meeting.
The Department of Defense views artificial intelligence as a crucial technology that can accelerate decision-making while providing data consumption enhancement. By April of last year, the Pentagon had about 685 AI projects, including over a dozen involving major weapons systems.
Meanwhile, the Times of India reported in February that India was taking steps to ensure “effective use of artificial intelligence” within its military. The Indian government established an AI council, led by the Ministry of Defense to act as an artificial intelligence projects agency.
The Indian Ministry of Defense believes AI-based tools can improve military decision-making, as well as predictive maintenance, situational awareness, and security.
In 2018, the Pentagon warned that both China and Russia have invested heavily in developing artificial intelligence for military use. Last year, in a report to Congress detailing Chinese military power, the Department of Defense advised lawmakers that Beijing would pursue what it described as “intelligentized warfare” through the expanded use of artificial intelligence.
After the April 11 meeting, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said China is the primary international challenge, however, Russia poses an “acute threat.”
