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"This technology constitutes the coming danger," cautions Serhiy Beskrestnov, who recently obtained a recently captured enemy drone.

It was far from typical device either, it was revealed. Assisted by AI, the unmanned aerial vehicle can find and strike targets autonomously.

Beskrestnov has inspected many drones in his role as Ukrainian military advisor.

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

Both sides' forces have both been experimenting with AI in this war, and for certain tasks they are already deploying it, for target identification, intelligence collection and clearing mines.

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," says the defense official.

"It helps us quickly process huge volumes of information, pinpoint objectives and place them on a digital chart."

AI-Empowered Tech as a Critical Asset

AI-enhanced technology is seen as a instrument that improves strategic planning, make the most of assets and ultimately save lives.

However regarding unmanned weapons systems, it is also transforming the battlefield.

Ukrainian soldiers already use AI-based software enabling drones fix on a target and then operate independently for the final segment until the operation is over.

Signal disruption cannot be done and shooting down such small flying object is not easy.

In the future these systems will likely become completely independent weapons that can find and destroy targets on their own.

All a soldier will need to do is tap a icon on a mobile application, notes a tech executive, head of a local developer.

The drone handles everything else, according to him, locating the target, releasing munitions, assessing the impact and then returning to base.

"And it would not even require flight experience from the soldier," he continues.

Defensive Drones and Future Developments

Defensive drones with that kind of automation might greatly enhance defensive systems against enemy remote strike aircraft, such as the infamous certain models.

"A computer-guided autonomous system is superior to a human in so many ways," explains the executive. "It can be sharper. It detects the objective sooner than a person. It is more agile."

The deputy defence minister says such a system does not exist yet, but he mentions Ukraine is nearing finishing its development. "They've partially integrated it in certain equipment," says the representative.

There could even be thousands of these technologies deployed by the year 2026, claims Azhnyuk.

Cautions and Dangers of Full Autonomy

But Ukrainian developers are cautious about completely relying on defence systems that depend solely on AI, with no human involvement. The danger is AI may fail to distinguish a Ukrainian fighter from a hostile one, since both could be wearing the same uniform, notes an engineer, who declined to give his surname.

His company produces remotely controlled machine guns, that employ artificial intelligence to autonomously identify individuals and follow them. Because of concerns over friendly fire, he says they don't have an auto-fire feature.

"We can enable it, but we need to gain further expertise and more feedback from the ground forces to determine the safe conditions to use this feature."

Moral Issues and International Regulations

Additionally, there are concerns that AI-driven technologies could breach the rules of war. How can they avoid harming non-combatants, or distinguish personnel who wish to yield?

According to the official, the final decision in these cases should rest with a human, even if AI could 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 important.

How do you halt a "swarm of drones" when electronic warfare or using jets, armored vehicles or missiles proves useless?

Ukraine's highly successful "Spider Web" operation, when a hundred unmanned aircraft targeted enemy military airports last June, was probably supported by AI tools.

Numerous locals worry that the adversary may replicate that tactic, not only on the front line but further afield too.

Ukraine's leader warned the UN recently that AI was contributing to "the most destructive arms race in history."

He urged global rules for the application of AI in armaments, and stated the issue is "just as urgent as preventing the proliferation of atomic arms."