The impact of AI on Indian Army operations: A closer look at new technologies

The Indian Army is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to enhance operational readiness, improve safety, and reduce casualties across diverse terrains and extreme weather conditions.

At the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, the armed forces showcased a range of AI-driven technologies designed to act as force multipliers during military operations.

Among the key innovations on display was an AI-enabled eye- and sound-tracking system aimed at preventing fatigue-related accidents during long convoy movements. The system monitors a driver’s eye movement and triggers an alarm if signs of drowsiness are detected, helping avert mishaps in difficult and mountainous terrains. Several army units have already adopted the technology.

According to an Indian Army Officer, "As we are aware, Army convoys move for long hours in mountainous and different kinds of terrains. Due to fatigue, drivers tend to fall asleep. To mitigate this problem, an AI-based system has been developed. It basically reads the focal point of the driver's eyes, and when the eyes close, it raises an alarm so that the driver wakes up. The casualties that used to happen earlier have stopped quite a bit now. It was developed three years ago. However, it is now being implemented across the Indian Army. As of now, around 60 units have been distributed to different formations, and it is still in progress, where it is being distributed to different units of the Indian Army."

Another major highlight was Prakshepan, an AI-based military climatology and disaster prediction system trained on two decades of historical data. The platform can forecast floods, landslides, and avalanches up to seven days in advance, significantly improving preparedness and response planning.

Prakshepan integrates data from multiple scientific and government agencies, including the Indian Meteorological Department, the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, and the DRDO.

Lt Col. A R PackIanathan, Indian Army, "Prakshepan is a military climatology application. This is an AI-based model that has been trained on the last 20 years of data. As you can see, different ministries and scientific agencies are involved, such as the Indian Meteorological Department, the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, DRDO, and many other agencies. The data flows from these organisations, and the model has been trained on 20 years of data. Based on this, it provides current predictions for 3 to 7 days using dynamic parameters. More than 60 to 70 parameters have been included. It includes a landslide prediction model, a flood prediction model, and an avalanche prediction model."

The growing adoption of artificial intelligence aligns with the Indian Army’s forward-looking vision. In January, the force declared 2026 as the ‘Year of Networking & Data Centricity’, underlining its focus on data-driven and network-enabled operations.

The AI Impact Summit 2026 was held from February 16 to 21 at Bharat Mandapam, bringing together defence, technology, and policy stakeholders to shape the future of AI in national security.