New Delhi [India], March 17 : Lt Gen Raj Shukla (Retd), former General Officer Commanding of the Army Training Command and a noted military strategist, on Tuesday said India's defence industry must prioritise artificial intelligence and software-driven combat capabilities amid rising global defence budgets.
Speaking exclusively with ANI on the changing nature of modern warfare, Lt Gen Shukla emphasised that while hardware like missiles and fighter jets remain important, the future lies in software-driven combat capabilities.
"If we have to prioritise, there is hardware and software. In my view, today the age of algorithmic warfare has arrived, which means that while hardware is important, it is useless. Rafales and missiles are useless unless you have software that leverages their delivery. So we must invest in AI," he said.
Lt Gen Shukla further highlighted the need for defence-specific artificial intelligence models. "The 12 models Mr Vaishnaw has created, three or four should go to the military because our data cannot be shared in the civil stream. We need exclusive LLMs. On those LLMs, put 50 solid data engineers. An additional secretary doing AI or a major general doing AI is pointless; he doesn't understand AI. Someone with real AI expertise has to come in and be told: this is our data, these are our combat plans, now leverage them," he added.
Asked about the potential impact of the ongoing conflict in Iran on the global economy, Lt Gen Raj Shukla warned that inflation is set to hit people not in arithmetic but at geometric rates.
Recalling past crises, he said, "Inflation is now going to hit people, not in arithmetic but in geometric rates. I remember the 1973 oil shock; it was huge. People are now saying that this is the worst oil economic shock in history... worse than the Biden administration's 9 per cent inflation, which impacted his presidency, worse than the 1973 oil shock. So all these things have yet to happen."
Lt Gen Shukla also highlighted domestic implications, noting, "LPG shortages are happening in our country too... crude has settled at $103, and people are saying if the crisis is not resolved in the week, it will touch $150. So if this was design, chaos, disruption... they have succeeded. But I'm saying, is it good enough to smash the Trump presidency? I don't think so... because shocks will be absorbed by Trump, as he is good at his base and those narrative business. He is confident that it will not affect elections."