NEW DELHI: India's digital transformation has propelled the nation into a new era of cybersecurity risk, where traditional manual defences may no longer suffice against increasingly sophisticated and automated cyberattacks, National Cyber Security Coordinator Navin Kumar Singh stated on Tuesday. He emphasized the urgent need for artificial intelligence-powered security systems to safeguard critical infrastructure and digital services.
Addressing CyberComm 2026
Speaking at the CyberComm 2026 event organized by Ficci, Singh highlighted that India's expanding digital public infrastructure—encompassing Aadhaar, UPI, ONDC, and large-scale citizen databases—has positioned the country as one of the world's most connected digital economies. However, this connectivity has also significantly widened the attack surface for cybercriminals and state-backed hackers.
The Imperative of AI-Driven Security
Calling for an "AI to fight AI" approach, Singh described it as the "pressing need of the hour." He urged stronger collaboration between industry and government, along with real-time cyber threat information sharing, to enhance India's collective cyber resilience. "There is a real quantum jump in the capabilities of AI systems for both cyber offence and cyber defence," Singh warned. He cautioned that open-source AI models with capabilities comparable to advanced systems like GPT-5.5 could become widely available within six to nine months.
India's Digital Growth Metrics
India's internet subscriber base has grown more than three-fold over the past decade, while per capita internet data usage has surged nearly 400 times. Singh noted that India's Digital Public Infrastructure model, which combines interoperable public platforms with private innovation, is now being studied globally as a benchmark for digital transformation.
As India continues to digitize rapidly, the call for AI-powered cybersecurity measures becomes increasingly critical to protect the nation's digital assets and maintain trust in its digital ecosystem.
