Artificial intelligence has initiated a paradigm shift in the Kuhnian sense. Similar to how Thomas Kuhn describes the evolution of science through revolutionary leaps leading to a paradigm shift, the adoption of AI in battlefield tactics has shifted normal strategic calibrations to a new dimension. The employment of AI on a battlefield and the diverging discourse on its adverse impact and effectiveness are now prevailing narratives. In this context, Israel’s use of an AI-enabled kill chain system consisting of three infamous AI tools, namely Lavender, the Gospel, and Where’s Daddy, has opened a new dimension of sub-conventional warfare against non-state actors. Predicting the future course of strategic planning in the age of emerging disruptive technologies is a highly daunting task due to the rapid and uncharted evolution of these technologies. However, Israel’s confident approach to weaponising AI before it becomes a threat to its own force has shocked the world, frightened its enemies and facilitated capable nations with a new perspective on the use of AI against a brutal enemy. India stands at a position similar to Israel, plagued by the increasingly hybrid threats from different state and non-state actors. An AI-enabled kill chain system, as shown by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in its war against the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza, despite its humanitarian concerns, presents an opportunity for India to have its own AI deterrence against similar threats. To that end, this paper examines the architecture of an AI-enabled kill chain system with a special emphasis on Israel’s deployment of such a system. The paper traces the development of a kill chain, its core constituent elements, and how it can be created in India, tailored to the Indian security environment. This paper thus identifies key gaps and challenges in India’s evolving defence AI architecture within the parameters of an AI-enabled kill chain, and proposes a ‘two-armed structure’ to develop India’s indigenous foundational AI capabilities.
