Taking the strategic partnership between India and Japan to the next level, the two countries are all set to work together to make use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in the defence sector. The joint efforts of the two Asian giants are expected to start by the end of January.
"You should expect to see increased bilateral cooperation between us to develop unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and robotics," Kentaro Sonoura, Japan's state minister for foreign affairs told the Times of India.
"The two PMs agreed to launch a working group, which will work on cooperation between nuclear companies. Japan's intention is to start this quickly, possibly by the end of this month," he added.
According to earlier reports, the Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CAIR), India's leading lab that works on AI, has already been working since last year on robotics and said that it will equip India's armed forces with a host of robots that can work as a part of any team much like the soldiers.
"The aim is to equip our armed forces with systems that are self-reliant, adaptable and fault-tolerant," said a source.
Now, India's partnership with Japan in this regard could suggest that the defence sector will get to work with robots much earlier than expected. China's rapid expansion is a challenge to both India and Japan. Hence, the two countries are looking at the world from a similar perspective.
Sonoura said that Japan will also work to build infrastructure based on global standards in a bid to increase connectivity among various nations for the ease of doing business.
Besides introducing robots in defence, recent reports suggest that the Indian government is also set to launch the second phase of the Make in India programme next month with a focus on segments like robotics, AI, genomics, and electrical storage.
"We want Make in India to be more futuristic and prepare us for the global economic opportunities that will arise a few years from now," said a government official.
