The new AI arms race changing the war in Ukraine

“This technology is our future threat,” warns Serhiy Beskrestnov, who took possession of a newly captured Russian UAV.

He discovered that it was no ordinary drone either. This artificial intelligence-supported unmanned aerial vehicle can find and attack targets on its own.

As an advisor to the Ukrainian defense forces, Beskrestnov reviewed numerous drones.

Unlike other models, it did not send or receive any signals, so it could not be mixed.

Both Russian and Ukrainian forces are testing artificial intelligence in this war and are already using it to find targets, gather intelligence and clear mines in some areas.

And for the Ukrainian army, artificial intelligence has become indispensable.

“Our military receives over 50,000 video streams [from the front line] every month it is analyzed by artificial intelligence,” says Ukrainian deputy defense minister Yuriy Myronenko.

“This helps us quickly process this huge data, identify targets and place them on a map.”

AI-powered technology is seen as a tool that can improve strategic planning, make the most of resources and ultimately save lives.

However, when it comes to unmanned weapon systems, it also transforms the battlefield.

Ukrainian troops already use artificial intelligence-based software to allow drones to lock on to a target and then fly autonomously for the last few hundred meters until the mission is over.

It is impossible to confuse, and it is not easy to bring down such a small flying object.

Ultimately, these systems are expected to turn into fully autonomous weapons that can find and destroy targets on their own.

All a soldier has to do is press a button on a smartphone app, explains Yaroslav Azhnyuk, managing director of Ukrainian developer The Fourth Law.

He says the drone will do the rest, find the target, drop the explosives, assess the damage, and then return to base.

“And the soldier won’t even need piloting skills,” he adds.

Interceptor drones with such automation could significantly strengthen air defense against Russian long-range attack drones such as the infamous Shaheds.

“A computer-assisted autonomous system could be better than a human in many ways,” says Azhnyuk. “It can be more perceptive. It can see the target earlier than a human. It can be more agile.”

Yuriy Myronenko says that such a system does not yet exist, but suggests that Ukraine is close to completing its development. “We have partially implemented this on some devices,” says the deputy defense minister.

Azhnyuk claims that thousands of such systems could be available by the end of 2026.

However, Ukrainian developers are cautious about taking full advantage of defense systems based entirely on artificial intelligence, without any human intervention. Vadym, who declined to give his last name, says the risk is that the AI ​​may not be able to distinguish a Ukrainian soldier from a Russian because they might be wearing the same uniform.

His company, DevDroid, produces remote-controlled machine guns that use artificial intelligence to automatically detect and track people. He says there is no automatic fire option due to concerns about friendly fire.

“We can enable this, but we need more experience and more feedback from ground forces to understand when it is safe to use this feature.”

There are also fears that automated systems would violate the rules of warfare. How will they avoid harming civilians, how will they distinguish soldiers who want to surrender?

According to the deputy defense minister, the final decision in such cases should belong to a human, but artificial intelligence will “make the decision easier.” But there is no guarantee that states or armed groups will adhere to international humanitarian norms.

Therefore, countering these systems becomes even more critical.

How do you stop a “drone swarm” when jamming or using jets, tanks or missiles becomes ineffective?

Ukraine’s highly successful “Spider Web” operationThe attack last June, in which 100 unmanned aerial vehicles targeted Russian air bases, was probably supported by artificial intelligence tools.

Many in Ukraine fear that Moscow will copy this tactic not only on the front lines but also beyond.

Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky warned the UN last month that artificial intelligence was contributing to “the most destructive arms race in human history”.

He called for global rules on the use of artificial intelligence in weapons and said the issue was “as urgent as preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons.”