🔗 Share this article A New AI Arms Race Transforming the War in Ukraine Enemy AI drones pose a novel threat to Ukrainian forces, says a specialist "This innovation constitutes the future threat," cautions Serhiy Beskrestnov, that recently acquired a recently captured enemy drone. It was far from typical device either, it was revealed. Powered by artificial intelligence, the unmanned aerial vehicle can find and strike objectives autonomously. The consultant has examined numerous drones in his role as Ukrainian military advisor. Unlike other models, it did not transmit or accept any signals, causing it to be impossible to be jammed. AI analyzes the feeds from Ukraine's front line, shown here Both sides' forces are experimenting with AI in the conflict, and in some areas are now using it, for target identification, gathering intelligence and de-mining. And for the nation's military, AI is now essential. "The armed forces receives more than 50,000 video streams [from the battlefield] monthly that get analysed by artificial intelligence," says Ukraine's deputy defence minister. "It helps us rapidly handle this massive data, identify targets and place them on a digital chart." AI-Empowered Tech as a Strategic Asset AI-enhanced technology is regarded as a instrument that can enhance military strategy, optimize resources and in the end protect personnel. However when it comes to autonomous armaments, it is also transforming the warzone. The country's soldiers already use AI-powered software enabling drones lock on a target and then fly autonomously for the final segment until the operation is over. Signal disruption is impossible and shooting down such a tiny airborne device is not easy. A developer's firm produces remotely controlled machine guns that are able to follow targets using AI Ultimately these systems will likely evolve into fully autonomous armaments that can detect and destroy objectives by themselves. All a soldier will need to do is press a button on a smartphone app, explains a tech executive, chief executive of Ukrainian tech company. It will do the rest, according to him, finding the objective, dropping munitions, evaluating the impact and then returning to headquarters. "And it would not even require flight experience from the soldier," he adds. Defensive Drones and Upcoming Developments Defensive drones with that kind of autonomous capability could greatly strengthen air defences against Russian remote strike aircraft, like the infamous Shaheds. "An AI-driven autonomous system can be better than a human in numerous aspects," says the executive. "It is more perceptive. It detects the target sooner than a human can. It can be quicker." The deputy defence minister says such a system does not exist yet, but he suggests the country is nearing finishing its development. "They've partly implemented it in some devices," states the representative. It's possible there will be thousands of such systems in place by the year 2026, predicts Azhnyuk. AI defensive drones might protect Ukraine against certain enemy drones, foreign-made drones deployed by Russia Concerns and Dangers of Full Independence However Local developers are wary of fully making use of defence systems that depend solely on AI, without any operator input. The risk is AI might not distinguish a friendly fighter from a Russian one, as they may be using the same uniform, says an engineer, who declined to give his surname. His company produces remote-operated automatic weapons, that use AI to automatically detect individuals and track them. Because of worries about friendly fire, he states they avoid including an auto-fire option. "It can be activated, but we need to gain further expertise and additional input from the ground forces in order to determine the safe conditions to employ this capability." Moral Concerns and International Regulations Additionally, there are fears that AI-driven technologies could breach the rules of war. How will they prevent injuring civilians, or tell apart personnel who wish to yield? For the deputy defence minister, the ultimate choice in these cases should rest with a human, even if AI would make it "easier to decide". Yet it's not certain that states or armed groups will adhere to international humanitarian norms. Therefore counteracting such technologies is even more critical. How do you halt a "mass of unmanned craft" when jamming or employing jets, tanks or missiles proves useless? The nation's highly successful "Spider Web" mission, when a hundred unmanned aircraft attacked enemy military airports in June, was probably supported by AI tools. Many in Ukraine fear that Moscow may replicate this approach, not only on the front line but further afield too. The country's leader warned the United Nations last month that AI was fueling "the most destructive weapons competition in human history." He called for global rules for the use of AI in armaments, and said the issue was "equally pressing as stopping the spread of nuclear weapons."