Mentor’s Comment

Artificial Intelligence is no longer confined to laboratories, it is entering courtrooms, government systems, and battlefields. This topic is crucial because it shows how technology is reshaping institutions, decision-making structures, and even global power equations. Understanding these wider implications makes it highly relevant for GS III.

Why in the News?

Artificial Intelligence has reached a structural inflection point comparable to the Industrial Revolution. Large Language Models now process and generate language at speeds exceeding human capacity. Rivalry between the United States and China has intensified in AI development. AI has begun transforming military systems, governance processes, and economic sectors.

The World Economic Forum (Davos) identified AI as a force multiplier in an ongoing global rupture. Unlike earlier technological shifts, AI directly affects decision-making systems, judicial reasoning, battlefield operations, and autonomous weapons deployment. The scale extends beyond economic disruption to structural transformation of global power equations.

WHAT MAKES AI DIFFERENT FROM EARLIER TECHNOLOGIES?

1. Cognitive Automation:
   1. Replaces or supplements human reasoning in speech, language, vision, and analysis.
   2. Extends beyond mechanization into decision-making systems.
2. Cross-sector Penetration:
   1. Impacts communication, judicial systems, military operations, and industrial production.
   2. Integrates into existing civilizational networks rather than remaining sector-specific.
3. Speed and Scale:
   1. Enables instantaneous data processing and predictive analysis.
   2. Operates across global networks simultaneously.

How is AI affecting governance and judicial systems?

1. Judicial Reliance Risks:
   1. Increases dependence on AI in courtrooms.
   2. Raises risks of hallucinations, fabricated judgments, and improper citations.
2. Predictive Justice Tools:
   1. AI-based risk assessment systems like the U.S. COMPAS algorithm influences bail and sentencing decisions.
   2. Criticised for racial bias and opaque decision-making
3. E-Courts & Case Management Automation:
   1. India’s SUPACE (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court’s Efficiency) assists judges in legal research.
   2. Improves efficiency but does not replace judicial discretion.
4. Administrative Automation:
   1. Enhances policy modelling and governance analytics.
   2. Expands state surveillance and algorithmic control mechanisms.
5. Algorithmic Public Service Delivery:
   1. AI used in welfare fraud detection systems such as the Netherlands’ SyRI system.
   2. Struck down by a Dutch court (2020) for violating privacy and human rights.
6. Facial Recognition in Policing:
   1. Delhi Police used facial recognition during protests (2019-20).
   2. Raised concerns over mass surveillance and lack of statutory safeguards.

How is AI transforming warfare?

1. Autonomous Weapon Systems:
   1. Enables unmanned aerial vehicles capable of autonomous targeting.
   2. Reduces requirement of direct human intervention.
2. Battlefield Transformation:
   1. Shifts from traditional warfare to AI-enabled, data-driven operations.
   2. Integrates night vision systems, AI-capable surveillance, and automated targeting.
3. Drone Warfare Escalation:
   1. Facilitates swarm drones conducting coordinated attacks.
   2. Expands risk from state actors to terror and non-state actors.
4. Decision Autonomy:
   1. Develops self-sustaining weapon systems capable of independent action.
   2. Reduces human oversight in lethal operations.

What are the strategic and geo-political implications?

1. US-China Rivalry: Intensifies technological competition and reconfigures global power hierarchies.
2. Military Asymmetry: Provides disproportionate advantage to technologically advanced states. It reshapes deterrence dynamics and strategic stability.
3. Global Order Disruption: It challenges existing balance-of-power structures. It signals transition toward algorithm-driven strategic competition.

What are the systemic risks identified?

1. Loss of Human Control: 
   1. Risks displacement of human judgment in governance and conflict. 
   2. Enables autonomous systems beyond human override.
2. Escalation Risk: Increases probability of accidental conflicts due to automated decision chains.
3. Ethical Vacuum: Lacks universally accepted regulatory framework. It creates an imbalance between technological capability and normative governance.

What type of oversight is required?

1. Institutional Balances: 
   1. Ensures human oversight in high-risk applications.
   2. Establishes accountability mechanisms in judicial and military AI use.
2. Global Governance Framework:
   1. Facilitates multilateral dialogue on AI regulation.
   2. Prevents arms race in autonomous weapons systems.
3. Ethical Safeguards:
   1. Incorporates human control principles in lethal technologies.
   2. Strengthens transparency in algorithmic systems.

Conclusion

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a peripheral technological development but a foundational force influencing governance systems, military doctrines, and global power hierarchies. Its integration into judicial processes, administrative structures, and autonomous weapon systems signals a transition toward algorithm-driven decision architectures. The challenge before states is not whether to adopt AI, but how to ensure human oversight, ethical accountability, and strategic stability in its deployment. The future of global order will depend not merely on technological superiority, but on the ability to embed AI within robust institutional and normative frameworks.

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