"Such innovation constitutes our future threat," warns Serhiy Beskrestnov, that recently obtained a newly intercepted Russian drone.
It was far from typical drone either, it was revealed. Powered by AI, the unmanned aerial vehicle can locate and attack targets autonomously.
The consultant has examined numerous unmanned systems in his capacity as Ukrainian defence forces consultant.
Unlike previous versions, it did not transmit or accept communications, causing it to be impossible to disrupted.
Russian and Ukrainian militaries have both been experimenting with AI in this war, and in some areas they are already deploying it, to assist in target identification, intelligence collection and de-mining.
And for the Ukrainian army, AI is now indispensable.
"Our armed forces receives more than 50,000 video streams [from the battlefield] monthly which are analysed by artificial intelligence," states the defense official.
"It enables them quickly process huge volumes of information, pinpoint objectives and mark them on a map."
AI-Driven Technology as a Strategic Tool
AI-enhanced technology is regarded as a instrument that can enhance military strategy, optimize resources and ultimately save lives.
But regarding autonomous armaments, it's transforming the battlefield.
Ukrainian troops already use AI-powered systems enabling unmanned aircraft fix on a objective and then fly autonomously for the last few hundred metres until the operation is over.
Jamming cannot be done and shooting down such a tiny airborne device is not easy.
In the future such technologies will likely evolve into completely independent armaments that can find and destroy targets on their own.
All a soldier will need to do is press a icon on a smartphone app, notes Yaroslav Azhnyuk, chief executive of a local tech company.
It handles everything else, he says, locating the target, releasing munitions, evaluating the damage and afterwards returning to headquarters.
"And it would not even require flight experience from the soldier," he continues.
Interceptor Drones and Future Developments
Interceptor drones with that kind of automation might greatly strengthen air defences targeting enemy long-range attack drones, like the infamous Shaheds.
"An AI-driven self-operating unit is better than a person in numerous aspects," says Azhnyuk. "It can be more perceptive. It can see the objective sooner than a person. It can be quicker."
The deputy defence minister indicates that kind of technology is not yet available, but he suggests the country is close to finishing its development. "We have partly implemented it in certain equipment," states the deputy defence minister.
There could even be many thousands of these technologies in place by the year 2026, claims Azhnyuk.
Concerns and Dangers of Full Independence
However Ukrainian creators are wary of completely relying on defence systems that depend solely on AI, without any human involvement. The danger is AI might not distinguish a friendly fighter from a hostile one, as they may be wearing the identical attire, notes an engineer, who asked to remain anonymous.
The firm produces remotely controlled automatic weapons, that employ artificial intelligence to automatically detect people and track them. Because of concerns over friendly fire, he states they avoid including an automatic shooting feature.
"It can be activated, but we must gain further expertise and additional input from the military units in order to understand when it is safe to employ this capability."
Ethical Issues and Global Rules
There are also concerns that automated systems will violate the laws of armed conflict. How can they prevent injuring non-combatants, or distinguish soldiers who wish to yield?
For the deputy defence minister, the final decision in these cases should rest with a human, even if AI could make it "easier to decide". But it's not certain that nations or militant factions will follow global humanitarian standards.
So neutralizing such technologies is even more critical.
How do you halt a "mass of unmanned craft" when jamming or using aircraft, armored vehicles or rockets proves useless?
The nation's highly successful "Spider Web" mission, when a hundred unmanned aircraft attacked enemy military airports last June, was probably assisted by AI tools.
Many in Ukraine worry that Moscow will copy that tactic, not only on the battlefront but further afield too.
Ukraine's leader warned the UN last month that AI was contributing to "the most destructive arms race in history."
He urged international regulations for the use of AI in weapons, and said the matter is "equally pressing as stopping the proliferation of atomic arms."
