APROPOS the letter ‘Artificial intelligence and future wars’ (July 3). India gives the impression of being a novice in the field of artificial intelligence. But, it has some world class achievements to her credit.

India’s supercilious attitude to Pakistan reflects that it has contingency plans to immobilise Pakistan’s nuclear delivery systems. New Delhi knows well that the US is trying to pressure Pakistan until Islamabad accepts PALs (permissive action links) on our nuclear devices. PALs are if-then-else like computer code that checks uncontrolled explosion in mated devices. India is making use of artificial intelligence in civil sectors also.

In a recent discussion paper, the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) outlined strategy to transform India into an artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouse.

Artificial intelligence uses computers for decision-making chatbots on retail websites and programmes that detect fraudulent bank-activity.

NITI Aayog wants to further expand into five key sectors: agriculture, healthcare, education, smart cities and infrastructure, and transport. Already, several AI companies have created a niche in the Indian market. They include Ati Motors, AI garage, Intello Labs and Climate-Connect. The last mentioned is a Delhi-based firm which predicts the amount of power a solar plant will generate every 15 minutes.

Bill Gates’ affinity for India does not stem from altruism. It emanates from India’s skilled labour in their silicon valleys. India’s khaki and civilians are on one page to make India a global leader in AI and they are well ahead on this path compared to Pakistan.

Tala’at Shaheen

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2018