AI-Militarization in South Asia: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is redefining global military strategy, ushering in an era of technological supremacy that surpasses nuclear dominance. This paper examines how the two historically adversarial South Asian states, India and Pakistan, are adapting their military structures to integrate artificial intelligence (AI). While India has adopted a proactive and strategic approach to AI militarization, Pakistan's progress appears more measured and gradual. This divergence in AI integration has significant implications for regional strategic stability, deterrence dynamics, and the evolving landscape of asymmetric warfare. Analyzing these developments within the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) theoretical framework, the study focuses on how AI-driven technologies are rearranging asymmetric warfare capabilities, boosting intelligence operations, and affecting decision-making processes under military frameworks. According to the proponents of AI, it has massive implications for regional security dynamics, with transformative changes in operational strategies uprooting the conventional balance of power. Hence, this paper insists that uncontrolled AI militarization would increase instability and risks of conflict in South Asia and reaffirm the imperative need for cooperative AI governance. Such cooperation could prevent possible threats, maintain strategic equilibrium, and ensure responsible AI use in military applications for achieving sustainable peace and security in the region.