Indian Army looks to AI to translate Chinese languages

CHENNAI: A Bengaluru-based company has come up with a solution that could help the Indian Army leap over the language barrier that has been impeding communication between soldiers deployed in forward areas and their Chinese counterparts.

Cogknit Semantics Pvt Ltd has offered the army an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solution that can translate Chinese into English or Hindi in real time, according to a new report prepared by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on solutions to problems identified by the army.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat released the report, titled ‘1st Compendium on Solutions to Problem Statements,’ at the DefExpo-2018, which concluded in Chennai on Saturday.

The language barrier is one of the 130 problems identified by the Army Design Bureau in three separate reports. Other problems include a drop in performance of tanks at high altitude, and difficulties in laying bridges.

An initiative of the Narendra Modi government, the ADB was launched in August 2016 and has been tasked with promoting research and development and acting as a bridge between the army and the private sector to meet the army’s requirements.

“It’s a 100% indigenous solution, a next generation AI product that can automatically carry out the translation.

A soldier would require only a headset and a tablet,” said Deepak Kumar, director (defence solutions), Cogknit.