Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said artificial intelligence (AI) should not be like nuclear power and India needs to work on AI "extremely carefully so that this does not go out of our control in the coming times".
Singh noted that it should not be the case that a country or a group of countries establish their dominance on this technology and the remaining countries are not able to enjoy the fruits of this technology.
The union minister was speaking at an event titled 'AIDef (Artificial Intelligence in Defence)'
The minister launched 75 defence products powered by AI at the event. He mentioned that the technology is being used to improve the training of soldiers. Some of the products launched are already in use in the armed forces. Others will be deployed soon.
The AI products are in the domains of robotics systems, cyber security, human behaviour analysis, intelligent monitoring system, supply chain management, voice analysis, and C4ISR (command, control, communication, computer and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), and operational data analytics.
He added that India's defence sector is undergoing important changes due to AI and and the country must be ready to face legal, ethical, political, and economic upheaval that may follow due to this technology. Singh observed that the advanced technology's ethics and dangers must be properly thought out.
The minister described AI to be a technology that can bring massive change. "When a new technology brings a huge change, its transition period is also as huge and serious". He compared the arrival of a technology to the movement of a clock and said "once it moves forward, it is not possible to walk it back".
Speaking about the future of AI and its effect on society, Sign said that society takes time to adjust to a new technology and the country should ensure the democratic use of it.
"We cannot stop the progress of AI and we should not try to do so. But we need to be careful about it," said the union minister. He stressed that AI technology should be used for humanity's progress and peace.