Rajnath Singh to launch 75 newly-developed AI-enabled defence products

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will launch the first-ever ‘Artificial Intelligence in Defence’ (AIDef) symposium and exhibition organised by the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence on July 11 at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital.

The event will feature an exhibition to showcase the cutting-edge AI-enabled solutions developed by the services, research organisations, Industry and start-ups and innovators and the launch of AI products for the market.

Briefing about the event, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar on Friday said it is a big event where 75 newly-developed AI products/technologies, having applications in defence, will be launched, as part of the celebrations marking 75 years of Independence ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and to promote ‘Aatmanirbharta’ initiative in Defence.

“Nature of modern warfare is changing and AI will play a significant role in warfare. These products are tested and soon to be deployed in the safety and security of the nation,” Kumar said.

He further said that the products are in the domains of automation/unmanned/robotics systems, cyber security, human behaviour analysis, intelligent monitoring system, logistics and supply chain management, speech/voice analysis and Command, Control, Communication, Computer and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems and operational data analytics.

“Besides the 75 products being launched, another 100 are in various stages of development,” he added.

In addition, two top defence exporters one each from the public and private sector will be felicitated during the event.

During the press conference Additional Secretary Sanjay Jaju, responding to a question said that defence exports have crossed the highest ever figure of Rs 13,000 crore in Financial Year 2021-22, with 70 per cent contribution coming from the private sector and the remaining 30 per cent from the public sector.

The event will also witness panel discussions on ‘Deploying AI in Defence’, ‘GenNext AI solutions’ and ‘AI in Defence – Industry Perspective’, with active participation from the Services, academia, students, and research organisations and Industry.

A ‘GenNext AI’ Solutions Competition has been organised to get bright innovative ideas from students on futuristic AI solutions. The top three ideas curated by AI experts will also be felicitated.

An exhibition of AI products has also been organised.

The event is likely to be attended by dignitaries from friendly foreign countries, senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and other Ministries of Government of India, and representatives from research institutes, academia and the Industry.

It may be recalled that an AI task force for Defence was established in 2018 to provide a road map for promoting AI in defence.