“This technology is our future threat,” warns Serhiy Beskrestnov, after examining a newly intercepted Russian drone powered by artificial intelligence. This was no ordinary drone – it could detect and attack targets entirely on its own.
Beskrestnov, a consultant for Ukraine’s defence forces, has studied many drones. Yet this one was different. It sent no signals, meaning it could not be jammed. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces are now using AI to identify targets, analyse intelligence, and clear mines.
Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, Yuriy Myronenko, says AI is already essential. “Our military gets more than 50,000 video streams from the front line each month,” he explains. “AI helps us analyse this data, locate targets, and map them quickly.”
AI-driven technology is improving battlefield planning and helping to save lives. Ukrainian troops use drones that lock onto a target and fly autonomously to complete missions. Shooting them down is almost impossible.
Developers like Yaroslav Azhnyuk of The Fourth Law predict fully autonomous drones soon. “A soldier will just press a button on a smartphone, and the drone will do the rest,” he says.
Yet not everyone is ready to trust machines with life-or-death choices. Vadym from DevDroid, which builds AI-guided machine guns, warns of risks. “AI may not tell friend from foe,” he says.
President Zelensky has urged the UN to set global rules for AI weapons. Without them, he warns, humanity faces “the most destructive arms race in history.”
