AI-Militarization in South Asia: A Comparative Analysis

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 artifi...

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Main Authors: Summar Iqbal Babar, Malaika Sarwar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN) 2025-07-01
Series:BTTN Journal
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Online Access:https://bttn.org.pk/ojs/index.php/BTTN_Journal/article/view/181
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author Summar Iqbal Babar
Malaika Sarwar
author_facet Summar Iqbal Babar
Malaika Sarwar
author_sort Summar Iqbal Babar
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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institution Kabale University
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spelling doaj-art-49a420a778064d1b8f00a6c45b86a0062025-08-20T03:56:14ZengBalochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN)BTTN Journal2958-12142958-12222025-07-014110.61732/bj.v4i1.181AI-Militarization in South Asia: A Comparative AnalysisSummar Iqbal Babar0Malaika Sarwar1Assistant ProfessorGraduate 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. https://bttn.org.pk/ojs/index.php/BTTN_Journal/article/view/181AI militarizationRegional SecurityIndiadeterrenceasymmetric warfareRMA
spellingShingle Summar Iqbal Babar
Malaika Sarwar
AI-Militarization in South Asia: A Comparative Analysis
BTTN Journal
AI militarization
Regional Security
India
deterrence
asymmetric warfare
RMA
title AI-Militarization in South Asia: A Comparative Analysis
title_full AI-Militarization in South Asia: A Comparative Analysis
title_fullStr AI-Militarization in South Asia: A Comparative Analysis
title_full_unstemmed AI-Militarization in South Asia: A Comparative Analysis
title_short AI-Militarization in South Asia: A Comparative Analysis
title_sort ai militarization in south asia a comparative analysis
topic AI militarization
Regional Security
India
deterrence
asymmetric warfare
RMA
url https://bttn.org.pk/ojs/index.php/BTTN_Journal/article/view/181
work_keys_str_mv AT summariqbalbabar aimilitarizationinsouthasiaacomparativeanalysis
AT malaikasarwar aimilitarizationinsouthasiaacomparativeanalysis