"Such innovation constitutes our coming danger," cautions a defense consultant, that has just acquired a newly intercepted Russian drone.
It was no ordinary device as well, he discovered. Assisted by AI, the drone is able to locate and strike objectives on its own.
The consultant has examined numerous drones in his role as the nation's military advisor.
Unlike previous versions, the drone did not transmit or accept any signals, so be impossible to be jammed.
Russian and Ukrainian militaries are testing AI in the conflict, and for certain tasks they are already deploying it, for finding targets, intelligence collection and de-mining.
And for the Ukrainian army, AI is now indispensable.
"The military receives more than 50,000 footage feeds [from the battlefield] monthly that get processed by AI," says the defense official.
"It helps us quickly process this massive data, identify targets and place them on a digital chart."
AI-Driven Technology as a Critical Tool
AI-empowered technology is seen as a tool that improves strategic planning, optimize resources and ultimately protect personnel.
But when it comes to unmanned weapons systems, it's transforming the battlefield.
Ukrainian soldiers already use AI-based systems enabling drones lock on a objective and subsequently fly autonomously for the last few hundred metres till the mission concludes.
Signal disruption cannot be done and destroying such a small flying object proves difficult.
Ultimately these systems are expected to become completely independent weapons that are able to find and eliminate objectives by themselves.
An operator will need to do is press a button on a mobile application, explains Yaroslav Azhnyuk, head of a local tech company.
It will do the rest, according to him, finding the objective, dropping munitions, evaluating the impact and afterwards coming back to base.
"It doesn't demand flight experience from the user," he continues.
Defensive Systems and Future Advancements
Interceptor drones with that kind of autonomous capability might greatly enhance defensive systems targeting Russian remote strike aircraft, like the infamous Shaheds.
"A computer-guided autonomous system is better than a human in so many ways," explains the executive. "It can be sharper. It detects the target faster than a person. It is more agile."
The official says such a system is not yet available, but he mentions the country is nearing finishing its development. "We have partially integrated it in certain equipment," says the deputy defence minister.
It's possible there will be thousands of these technologies in place by the year 2026, predicts Azhnyuk.
Concerns and Dangers of Full Autonomy
But Ukrainian creators are wary of fully making use of military technologies that rely entirely on AI, with no operator input. The risk is that AI might not distinguish a friendly soldier from a Russian one, as they may be wearing the identical attire, notes an engineer, who asked to remain anonymous.
The firm makes remote-operated automatic weapons, that employ artificial intelligence to autonomously identify people and track them. Due to concerns over accidental attacks, he states they avoid including an auto-fire option.
"It can be activated, but we need to get more experience and more feedback from the ground forces in order to understand when it is safe to employ this capability."
Ethical Concerns and Global Regulations
Additionally, there are fears that automated systems could breach the rules of war. How will they avoid injuring civilians, or tell apart soldiers who want to surrender?
According to the official, the ultimate choice in these cases should rest with a person, although AI would make it "simpler to choose". Yet there are no guarantees that nations or armed groups will adhere to international humanitarian norms.
So counteracting these systems becomes increasingly critical.
How do you stop a "mass of unmanned craft" when electronic warfare or using jets, armored vehicles or missiles proves useless?
The nation's very effective "Spider Web" operation, when a hundred drones targeted enemy military airports last June, is believed to be assisted by AI tools.
Many in Ukraine fear that the adversary may replicate that tactic, not only on the front line but further afield as well.
Ukraine's president cautioned the United Nations last month that AI was contributing to "the most destructive arms race in human history."
He urged global rules for the use of AI in armaments, and stated the issue was "just as urgent as preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons."
