The New AI Arms Race Altering the War in the Region

"This innovation represents our future threat," warns a defense consultant, that has just obtained a recently captured Russian drone.

It was no ordinary device either, it was revealed. Powered by artificial intelligence, the unmanned aerial vehicle can locate and strike objectives autonomously.

The consultant has inspected many drones in his role as Ukrainian defence forces consultant.

Unlike other models, it didn't send or accept any signals, so could not disrupted.

Russian and Ukrainian forces are experimenting with AI in the conflict, and in some areas they are already deploying it, for target identification, intelligence collection and de-mining.

And for the Ukrainian army, AI is now essential.

"The armed forces gets more than 50,000 footage feeds [from the front line] every month that get processed by AI," says Ukraine's defense official.

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

AI-Driven Technology as a Strategic Asset

AI-empowered technology is regarded as a instrument that can enhance military strategy, make the most of resources and in the end protect personnel.

But when it comes to autonomous armaments, it's revolutionizing the warzone.

The country's soldiers currently employ AI-based systems so that drones lock on a target and subsequently operate independently for the final segment until the operation concludes.

Jamming cannot be done and destroying such a tiny airborne device proves difficult.

Ultimately these systems are expected to evolve into fully autonomous armaments that can detect and eliminate targets on their own.

An operator will need to do is tap a icon on a smartphone app, notes Yaroslav Azhnyuk, chief executive of Ukrainian tech company.

The drone will do the rest, according to him, finding the objective, dropping explosives, assessing the damage and afterwards coming back to headquarters.

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

Defensive Drones and Upcoming Developments

Interceptor drones with such autonomous capability might significantly strengthen defensive systems targeting enemy long-range attack drones, such as the notorious Shaheds.

"A computer-guided autonomous system is better than a human in numerous aspects," says Azhnyuk. "It is more perceptive. It detects the target sooner than a person. It can be quicker."

The official indicates that kind of system is not yet available, but he suggests the country is close to completing its development. "We have partially integrated it in certain equipment," says the representative.

It's possible there will be many thousands of these technologies deployed by the end of 2026, predicts the developer.

Cautions and Risks of Total Autonomy

However Ukrainian creators are cautious about completely relying on military technologies that rely entirely on AI, with no operator input. The risk is AI may fail to distinguish a friendly soldier from a hostile one, as they may be wearing the identical attire, says Vadym, who asked to remain anonymous.

His company produces remote-operated machine guns, that use AI to automatically detect people and follow them. Due to worries about friendly fire, he says they don't have an automatic shooting option.

"It can be activated, but we must gain further expertise and additional input from the military units in order to determine the safe conditions to employ this capability."

Ethical Issues and Global Rules

Additionally, there are concerns that automated systems will violate the laws of armed conflict. How can they avoid injuring civilians, or distinguish soldiers who want to surrender?

For the deputy defence minister, the final decision in these cases must be made by a human, even if AI could make it "simpler to choose". But it's not certain that states or militant factions will follow international humanitarian norms.

Therefore neutralizing these systems is increasingly critical.

How can one stop a "mass of unmanned craft" when electronic warfare or employing aircraft, tanks or missiles proves useless?

The nation's very effective "Web" operation, when 100 unmanned aircraft attacked enemy air bases last June, is believed to be assisted by AI tools.

Numerous locals worry that Moscow may replicate this approach, not just on the front line but further afield too.

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

He urged global rules for the use of AI in weapons, and stated the matter was "equally pressing as preventing the spread of nuclear weapons."