🔗 Share this article

"This technology constitutes the coming danger," cautions a defense consultant, who has just acquired a newly intercepted enemy unmanned aerial vehicle.

It was no ordinary drone as well, it was revealed. Powered by AI, this unmanned aerial vehicle can find and attack objectives on its own.

The consultant has examined numerous drones in his capacity as the nation's defence forces consultant.

Unlike other models, it did not transmit or accept any signals, so could not be jammed.

Russian and Ukrainian militaries have both been experimenting with AI in this war, and for certain tasks they are already using it, to assist in finding targets, gathering intelligence and clearing mines.

And for the Ukrainian army, AI has become essential.

"Our military receives more than 50,000 footage feeds [from the battlefield] monthly that get processed by artificial intelligence," states the deputy defence minister.

"It enables us rapidly process huge volumes of information, pinpoint objectives and place them on a map."

AI-Empowered Tech as a Strategic Tool

AI-enhanced tech is regarded as a tool that improves strategic planning, optimize resources and in the end save lives.

But when it comes to unmanned weapons systems, it's transforming the battlefield.

The country's troops already use AI-based systems enabling unmanned aircraft fix on a objective and then fly autonomously for the final segment until the operation is over.

Jamming cannot be done and shooting down such small flying object is not easy.

In the future such technologies are expected to evolve into fully autonomous weapons that are able to detect and eliminate objectives on their own.

All a soldier must do is tap a icon on a mobile application, notes Yaroslav Azhnyuk, chief executive of Ukrainian tech company.

The drone will do the rest, he says, locating the objective, dropping explosives, evaluating the impact and then coming back to headquarters.

"It doesn't demand flight experience from the soldier," he continues.

Defensive Systems and Upcoming Developments

Defensive unmanned craft with such automation might significantly strengthen air defences targeting enemy long-range attack drones, such as the notorious certain models.

"An AI-driven autonomous system is better than a human in numerous aspects," explains Azhnyuk. "It is sharper. It can see the target faster than a person. It is quicker."

The deputy defence minister says such a technology does not exist yet, but he mentions the country is close to finishing its creation. "We have partially integrated it in some devices," says the deputy defence minister.

It's possible there will be thousands of these technologies deployed by the year 2026, claims Azhnyuk.

Concerns and Dangers of Total Autonomy

But Ukrainian creators are cautious about completely relying on defence systems that depend solely on AI, without any human involvement. The risk is that AI may fail to differentiate a friendly fighter from a Russian combatant, since both could be wearing the identical attire, notes an engineer, who declined to give his surname.

His company produces remote-operated machine guns, that use AI to autonomously identify individuals and track them. Due to worries about accidental attacks, he states they don't have an auto-fire feature.

"We can enable it, but we must get more experience and more feedback from the ground forces in order to understand the safe conditions to use this feature."

Ethical Concerns and Global Rules

Additionally, there are concerns that automated systems could breach the laws of armed conflict. How will they prevent harming civilians, or tell apart soldiers who wish to yield?

According to the official, the ultimate choice in these cases must be made by a human, although AI would make it "simpler to choose". Yet there are no guarantees that nations or armed groups will follow international humanitarian norms.

Therefore counteracting such technologies is even more critical.

How do you stop a "swarm of drones" when jamming or employing aircraft, armored vehicles or missiles is rendered ineffective?

Ukraine's very effective "Web" mission, when a hundred unmanned aircraft targeted Russian air bases in June, was probably supported by artificial intelligence.

Numerous locals worry that Moscow may replicate this approach, not just on the battlefront but further afield as well.

Ukraine's president cautioned the United Nations last month that AI was fueling "the most destructive weapons competition in human history."

He urged international regulations for the application of AI in armaments, and said the issue is "just as urgent as preventing the spread of atomic arms."