The Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Chandrika Kaushik, has emphasized that India cannot depend on foreign-developed artificial intelligence models for sensitive defence applications.

Speaking at the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, she stated that in the defence sector, trust, reliability, and control over AI systems are non-negotiable. According to her, relying on overseas AI platforms for military use presents strategic risks, making indigenous development essential.

Strategic Need for Indigenous AI

Kaushik highlighted that AI is now embedded across daily activities — from education and research to business problem-solving. However, she pointed out that most widely used AI platforms originate outside India.

In the defence context, she stressed that systems must be transparent, verifiable, and resilient. For mission-critical operations, India must ensure complete confidence in the models and infrastructure being deployed.

She also acknowledged the efforts of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in strengthening India’s AI ecosystem and described the summit as a constructive step toward building trusted domestic capabilities.

DRDO’s AI Frameworks

DRDO has already developed structured mechanisms to integrate AI responsibly:

• ETAI (Evaluating Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence): A framework focused on ensuring resilience and reliability in AI-enabled defence systems.

• AI Validation & Verification Guidelines: A structured approach to assess performance, robustness, and safety before operational deployment.

Kaushik noted that AI is being incorporated across DRDO projects wherever meaningful data analysis can enhance performance. Importantly, AI systems are moving closer to operational environments, including battlefield applications.

Indian Army’s AI Transformation

The Indian Army also showcased its transition toward becoming a data-centric and AI-enabled force aligned with India’s broader goal of technological self-reliance.

Major General VTS Varaich outlined that AI adoption within the Army has been a long-term, structured journey supported by strategic planning and public-private partnerships. He emphasized that the objective is not to chase trends but to implement functional, mission-ready technologies.

The Army is preparing for multi-domain operations, integrating AI alongside advancements in communications, cybersecurity, and quantum technologies.

Indigenous AI Solutions on Display

At the summit, the Indian Army presented several AI-driven systems, including:

• AI Examiner: Automated assessment and training support system

• SAM-UN: Geospatial AI platform for mission planning and disaster response

• EKAM (AI-as-a-Service): Secure, air-gapped AI cloud platform ensuring data sovereignty

• PRAKSHEPAN: AI-based disaster prediction and climatology system

• XFace: AI facial recognition for identity verification

• Driver Fatigue Detection: Real-time drowsiness monitoring tool

• AI-in-a-Box: Portable edge AI deployment system

• Vehicle Tracking System: AI-enabled logistics optimization

• Deepfake Detection & AI Cyber Security Systems: Tools to counter synthetic media and cyber threats

Officials highlighted deepfakes as a growing concern, noting ongoing work to develop highly accurate detection systems with reliability exceeding 99.5 percent.

Summit Focus: People, Planet, Progress

The India–AI Impact Summit 2026 aims to move beyond policy discussions toward actionable outcomes. Structured around the pillars of People, Planet, and Progress, the summit addresses:

• Employment and future skills

• Sustainable and energy-efficient AI

• Responsible governance and data protection

• Sovereign AI development for strategic sectors

Working groups are developing proposals for shared compute infrastructure, AI commons initiatives, and sector-specific AI use cases.

A Shift Toward Sovereign AI

The discussions reflect a broader national objective: building sovereign AI capabilities for critical infrastructure. In sectors such as defence, financial systems, and public digital infrastructure, indigenous AI models are increasingly viewed as essential for long-term security and autonomy.

The emphasis from DRDO and the Indian Army signals a decisive shift toward trusted, India-built AI systems that combine innovation with strategic control.

As AI becomes embedded deeper into operational environments, the focus is no longer just adoption — but ownership, governance, and national security.