India vs Pakistan just fought the first war coded by machines not men

Drones, data, and decisions marked a new era in South Asian conflict

The 2025 India Vs Pakistan conflict didn’t end with a ceasefire or a global emergency. When the fighting stopped and the dust settled, the experts weren’t focused on counting casualties with the body count or who won or lost the war. They were looking at data and drone footage and verifying cyber logs to figure out who violated the existing ethical codes of conduct. The war was different from previous wars in one big way: Artificial Intelligence (AI) was a key player in battlefield decision-making. When the fighting stopped, new questions arose: who made the decision, humans or machines? And this is how all wars will be as technology advances.

India vs Pakistan - War by algorithm

India’s AI algorithm: Scan, sense, and strike

India fought the war with a digital-first strategy. The Defence Research and Development Organisation brought in AI tools developed in partnership with defense start-ups that changed the way front-line operations were conducted.

AI drones could scan everything from camouflaged camps to heat signatures in the jungles across the LoC. Satellite data that was earlier wasted on human analysts who couldn’t process so much information was fed into AI models trained to detect patterns that indicated infiltrators or an artillery position.

Behind the scenes, India’s battlefield dashboard, the Situational Awareness Module for the Army (SAMA), was giving intelligence to the commander with an AI-filtered view of troop status, weather changes, and enemy troop movements. And as the skirmishes intensified, predictive analytics was assessing enemy reinforcement orders and documenting air support orders.

“AI helps us process vast amounts of surveillance data in real-time, allowing commanders to react swiftly to emerging threats,” Said a senior Army official.

In cyberspace, machine learning tools were defending military websites against coordinated phishing attacks; other public-facing websites within the force were being marked for intrusion attempts. Some units were deploying autonomous vehicles for mine detection and perimeter patrolling, reducing personnel exposure to risk.

Pakistan’s AI response: Target and disrupt

Pakistan was not slow either. Their missile systems, like the Fatah-II artillery rocket, had AI-enabled navigation systems that would change its trajectory during flight—it could hit the target with more precision and minimize collateral damage.

Drones like the Shahpar-II were launched with AI sensor target recognition and could adjust their trajectory; they could loiter and select high-value targets themselves before being directed to send coordinates. Hypothetically, drone pilots at command centers were uploading targets onto logistics runs for an under-fire airstrike (or even rerouting troop convoy movements under fire from enemy aircraft).

Cyberwarfare had a role to play as well. AI bots were extensively exploring Indian systems for vulnerabilities and mapping the digital terrain before their planned cyberattack. In fact, a report suggested an offensive misinformation campaign that was operated under all-Pakistani opt-in Asian dialects using deep learning models to influence social media consumer sentiment.

When machines made battlefield calls

May 2025 escalation

It all started in early May when a swarm of drones entered Indian airspace. India’s AI-powered air defense system responded in seconds and shot down most of them before they reached key installations. It was the world’s first documented drone vs. drone engagement driven entirely by AI.

Other times were less precise. An AI-guided artillery strike misread environmental data and hit a civilian area. The fallout led to international condemnation and rekindled debate on autonomous weapon accountability.

Cyberattacks also intensified, with both sides launching and repelling waves of digital attacks. AI helped both sides defend infrastructure but also made the attacks faster and harder to trace.

Aftermath and accountability

The war ended after 10 days of military posturing, backchannel diplomacy, and a mutual recognition that escalation under AI control was too risky. Both governments issued cautious statements on the role of technology even as their defense ministries increased AI investments.

But as the dust settled, so did the illusions. AI didn’t just assist in war; it steered it. In some cases, it made decisions before humans could even intervene. And while that saved lives through faster reactions and smarter logistics, it also raised red flags.

International observers, including the UN’s disarmament division and SIPRI, have since asked India and Pakistan to develop shared protocols for military AI, including third-party audits and red lines for autonomous decision-making.

Looking ahead The uneasy peace of machine minds

The conflict has led South Asian states to the technological fork in the road. India and Pakistan are investing in AI research, and they are advancing it not for defense purposes but for strategic benefit. The rush to mobilize artificial intelligence is being facilitated by defense universities, defense think tanks, and a multitude of private actors.

But power comes with risk.

There is deep concern about "automation creep," where human agency may be systematically eroded as agency gets replaced by intelligence. Accidental escalation, bias in training data, or cyber manipulation may start a war without human error—by accident.

As Professor Sara Matk of the US Naval War College says, "The next war may not be started by humans at all."

For now the war is over. But AI has already crossed the border, and it’s not coming back.

More For You

Cyber war after Pahalgam carnage as over 1 million attacks  

M&S malware attack explained step by step how the hackers broke everything

GenAI cybersecurity threats redefine digital risks in 2025

AI-Powered Gaming: Smarter Worlds, Stronger Security, and Next-Level Play