Spied on none, stole from none

A senior scientist during the Pokhran test in 1974 and chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission during the tests in 1998, Dr Rajagopala Chidambaram has been a key figure in the Indian nuclear journey.

- SANJIB Kr BARUAH

During both the tests, he led the design of the nuclear devices and the execution of the tests. Chidambaram, 88, still retains the fascination he always had for science. He continues to be engaged in research at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. He spoke to THE WEEK about the Pokhran tests, proliferation concerns and about global warming and climate change. Excerpts:

Q/ With new age domains like Artificial Intelligence and high tech weapon systems, are nuclear weapons passé?

A/ In the nuclear domain, you can use AI and other techniques only for protection when you move from one place to another. The thing about AI is a question of what you want it to do. Can you allow a machine to rule, a machine to learn and to perform tasks? But who teaches a machine? It is the human. So human beings will always be superior.

Q/ Does nuclear energy have a role in the fight against global warming and climate change?

A/ Climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions which prevent the infrared radiation from going out, and that is what leads to global warming. And as far as global warming is concerned, one of the worst things is the burning of fossil fuels. If you want to reduce the burning of fossil fuels, then one of the options is renewable energy, like solar energy. But solar energy is intermittent. You will have to store it, for which you need storage systems. In this context, nuclear energy becomes very important. It is sustainable and regular in its supply of electricity.