AI helped predict Chinese move in Arunachal, avoid casualties: Lt Gen Rana

Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the senior military official also warned of risks from artificial superintelligence and called for responsible, doctrine-driven AI deployment in defence

India successfully used artificial intelligence (AI)-powered prediction tools to anticipate and foil an unprecedented Chinese attempt along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, Lt Gen Dinesh Singh Rana, Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command, said.

 

Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the senior military official highlighted how AI is reshaping modern warfare, strategic doctrine and national security planning. He also cautioned about the risks posed by advanced systems such as artificial superintelligence.

 

Recounting his tenure commanding a Corps responsible for security along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh, Lt Gen Rana said a locally developed, low-cost AI software system had helped detect early warning indicators of a Chinese military build-up in a disputed sector.

 

 

“We could see through some AI systems that something was building up. Finally, we were able to predict the timing of their move,” he said.

 

He described the Chinese move as “unprecedented” and said timely AI-enabled intelligence ensured effective force positioning and evacuation planning, resulting in “no casualties” on the Indian side. 

AI race already underway globally

Lt Gen Rana said AI is no longer a “futuristic concept” but has become central to power competition globally.

 

He noted that worldwide investments in AI are rising sharply, particularly in the United States and China, and described the situation as an ongoing “AI race”.

 

He said AI is not limited to software systems but extends to workforce development, infrastructure, military doctrine and command structures.

 

He pointed out that major powers are integrating AI into command-and-control structures, autonomous weapons, precision strike systems and target identification.

 

AI is also increasingly being used in logistics, predictive maintenance, maritime domain awareness, electronic warfare, cyber defence and countering misinformation.

 

In the cyber domain, he said AI-powered systems can both conduct sophisticated offensive operations and strengthen defensive capabilities by identifying vulnerabilities and plugging gaps.

Risks of superintelligence

Highlighting the risks associated with AI, Lt Gen Rana warned that the transition from narrow AI systems to artificial superintelligence (ASI), if achieved, would create both significant opportunities and major challenges.

 

Being a dual-use technology, advanced AI systems could potentially be misused by rogue actors or leveraged for strategic coercion, similar to nuclear deterrence dynamics witnessed during the Cold War.

 

He said non-proliferation of such capabilities would be far more challenging than in the nuclear domain, given the nature of digital technologies. 

Call for India’s AI security doctrine

Highlighting lessons from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he stressed the importance of deploying scalable, low-cost AI-enabled battlefield systems, including autonomous drones, rather than relying solely on top-down, high-end capabilities.

 

He called for India to develop a comprehensive AI security doctrine and align investments accordingly.

 

He also advocated building “agentic systems” at the national level to integrate economic security, cyber, space and military inputs, enabling top leadership to assess the second- and third-order effects of strategic decisions.

 

Emphasising civil-military fusion, he said India must boost domestic talent and capabilities in artificial intelligence.

 

“As we aspire to become a superpower, we must also become a responsible AI power- just as we are a responsible nuclear power,” he said, adding that advanced AI capabilities, if acquired, would be used responsibly.