India, Feb. 23 -- As we cross the threshold of 2026, India stands at a paradox of digital history. Our nation has evolved into a global strategic nerve center, home to over 900 million internet users and a digital economy projected to hit $1 trillion by 2028, yet this very prominence has turned our digital borders into a high-stakes battlefield.

Everyday apps, online banking, and even smart city systems connect billions of data points, making India a prime target for hackers worldwide. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as the defining force of this era, not merely as a tool but as the fundamental architecture of both offense and defense.

With the rapid expansion of the digital economy, AI has become the "smart guardian" of our na...