Washington, D.C.: Jags Kandasamy, co-founder of US-based defence technology firm LatentAI, spoke with Hindustan Times about India’s defence tech ecosystem and the pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI) in modern warfare. His insights offer a candid critique of India’s current pace in AI-driven defence innovation, juxtaposed against China’s rapid advancements, while also proposing pathways for deeper India-US tech cooperation.
India’s Defence AI: Still in Elementary School
Kandasamy, whose company optimises AI for resource-constrained military platforms, minced no words while comparing China and India’s progress:
“The Chinese are like a third-year PhD student, while India is still in elementary school,” he said.
He highlighted how China was wooing tech entrepreneurs back in 2009–2010, while India today still lacks a battle management system, forcing military officers to rely on paper maps.
On the Ground: A Critical Use Case
He recalled a conversation at Aero India, where the Indian Army was using computer vision for automated weapon systems at the border—effective, but unscalable due to hardware limitations.
“That’s a problem we solve. We worked with the US Navy on battery-powered underwater vehicles with tight space and computing constraints. We compressed AI models to make it work. India could benefit from that.”
Bureaucratic Hurdles: A Major Roadblock
Kandasamy was blunt about the obstacles facing foreign firms.
“It takes 18-24 months just to move things forward. There’s no transparency, no clear path for non-Indian passport holders to engage with the Ministry of Defence,” he said.
He also shared a case of an Indian startup founder who waited two years just for product certification—with no contract in sight.
India as a Proving Ground
Despite these issues, Kandasamy believes India’s unique geography—deserts, mountains, swamps—makes it an ideal testbed for defence tech.
“India can be a global proving ground if it makes it easier for companies like ours to operate.”
IDEX: A Beacon of Hope
He praised the Ministry of Defence’s IDEX platform for discovering homegrown talent and fostering innovation.
“IDEX has been exposing a lot of amazing technologies. There’s no shortage of talent in India.”
Bridging the Gap: India-US Collaboration
Kandasamy proposed actionable ideas to strengthen Indo-US defence ties:
- Clearance Reciprocity: “If someone is cleared in the US, can India fast-track clearances based on reciprocal verification?”
- Hardware Interoperability: “India still uses Russian systems. We need transparent interfaces that can work alongside them without compromising security.”
Final Word: Leapfrog, Like Telecom
“India needs a quantum leap—just like it did with telecom. The intent is there. The mechanisms, not yet.”
Kandasamy’s message is clear: India must move faster and work smarter to modernise its defence infrastructure—and open the gates for global partnerships in the AI-driven future of warfare.