Page 16 - The Indian EYE 032522

OpINION MARCH 25, 2022 | The Indian Eye 16

russia’s aI-enabled military

ecosystem and Its algorithmic Warfare

Considering Russia’s capabilities in advanced weapon systems, it is likely that it will
soon be a leader in AI-enabled warfare

SANUR SHARMA Russia’s AI strategy gained mo-
mentum in 2014 when the Russian
he ongoing Russia–Ukraine Ministry of Defense (MoD) adopted
conflict showcases how various the concept for the use of Robot-
Ttechnologies can be vehement- ic Systems for military use by 2030,
ly used on the battlefield through with 30 per cent of combat power be-
both land and air. With Russia’s ad- ing robotized to partial or complete
vanced air combat capabilities, it has autonomy. In 2016, the strategy of
reportedly used only Tu-22M3 bomb- scientific and technological develop-
ers, Ka-52 attack helicopters, SU25, ment of the Russian Federation was
Su27 flanker and Su30 fighters to approved with the priority on the
destroy Ukraine’s military bases and creation of systems for Big Data, AI
other critical infrastructures. Russia’s and ML. In 2017, Russia launched
new Artificial Intelligence (AI) ca- its AI-enabled virtual assistant Alice
pabilities include AI-enabled robotic by Yandex and a cooperation agree-
weapons, autonomous tanks, Un- tions and technologies that can be challenges in addition to geopolitical ment was signed between Yandex
manned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and devised through integrating it with implications. Therefore, Russia is be- and Gazprom Neft to implement
long-range strikes involving high-pre- systems to gain a strategic advantage ing careful and heading with a strat- machine learning projects in the oil
cision missiles. Russia is heavily com- over adversaries. egized course of action in using this industry. The same year Vladimir
mitted to the use of AI for military Today, countries with geopolit- technology on battlefield. Putin declared that “whichever coun-
systems for intelligence gathering, ical conflicts are using AI and Ma- try becomes the leader in artificial in-
C4ISR, logistics and development of chine Learning (ML) in cyberattacks, russia is spearheading its aI telligence (AI) will become the ruler
autonomous weapons. misinformation and disinformation strategy with heavy investments of the world”. Despite this, Russia is
Despite having advanced AI- campaigns to their advantage. This still behind when compared to US
based military capabilities, Russia has been visible in the current Rus- in military, state-sponsored ac- and China in terms of AI capabili-
has not used any lethal autonomous sia–Ukraine conflict, where Russia tors and the private sector. It ties, according to a report by the US
weapon systems in the recent con- has been suspected of having used government-funded Center for Na-
flict. Moreover, Russia’s develop- asymmetric warfare by using AI- has been stated that with rus- val Analyses. Russia was not a leader
ment and use of weaponized AI is based cyber-attacks, electronic war- sia’s increasing adoption of fu- in communication networks but used
not only attributed to the quest of fare and information weapons on this technology for weaponizing itself
power or the global AI race but also Ukraine’s infrastructure like elec- turistic technologies and mod- for advanced cyber capabilities and
to the strategic implications and risks trical grids and communication sys- ern battlefield capabilities, the became a leader.
involved with autonomy. The tech- tems before the incursion. Russia Considering Russia’s capabili-
nological modernization with AI has has in the past also used this discreet us might be outmatched in the ties in advanced weapon systems, it
been declared as one of the key ar- use of technology for destabilizing areas of armor, artillery, air de- is likely that it will soon be a leader
eas for the future of defense strategy. its opponents’ infrastructures. The in AI-enabled warfare. In 2018, the
One significant aspect of AI is that it discourse on the use of weaponized fense, space and cyberspace. Russian MoD hosted a joint confer-
is not a weapon but a range of func- AI in such conflicts entails domestic Continued at next page... >>

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