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"This technology represents the coming danger," cautions a defense consultant, that recently obtained a newly intercepted enemy unmanned aerial vehicle.

This proved to be no ordinary device as well, he discovered. Powered by artificial intelligence, this drone is able to find and attack targets on its own.

Beskrestnov has inspected many unmanned systems in his role as the nation's defence forces consultant.

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

Both sides' militaries are testing AI in this war, and in some areas they are already deploying it, to assist in finding targets, gathering intelligence and de-mining.

For the nation's military, AI is now essential.

"The military gets over 50,000 footage feeds [from the front line] monthly that get analysed by artificial intelligence," states the deputy defence minister.

"It enables us quickly process this massive data, pinpoint objectives and mark them on a map."

AI-Empowered Technology as a Strategic Tool

AI-enhanced tech is regarded as a tool that improves strategic planning, optimize resources and in the end save lives.

However when it comes to autonomous armaments, it is also revolutionizing the battlefield.

The country's troops already use AI-based systems enabling drones fix on a objective and then fly autonomously for the last few hundred metres until the operation is over.

Jamming is impossible and shooting down such a tiny airborne device is not easy.

Ultimately such technologies are expected to become fully autonomous weapons that are able to find and eliminate targets by themselves.

An operator will need to do is press a button on a smartphone app, notes a tech executive, head of a local tech company.

It handles the rest, he says, finding the objective, dropping explosives, evaluating the impact and then coming back to headquarters.

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

Defensive Systems and Future Advancements

Defensive unmanned craft with that kind of autonomous capability could significantly strengthen air defences targeting Russian long-range attack drones, like the infamous certain models.

"An AI-driven self-operating unit is superior to a person in numerous aspects," explains the executive. "It can be sharper. It detects the target sooner than a human can. It is quicker."

The official says such a system does not exist yet, but he mentions Ukraine is close to finishing its development. "They've 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 end of 2026, claims Azhnyuk.

Concerns and Risks of Total Independence

But Ukrainian developers are cautious about completely relying on defence systems that depend solely on AI, without any operator input. The danger is AI might not distinguish a friendly fighter from a Russian combatant, since both could be wearing the same uniform, notes Vadym, who declined to give his surname.

His company makes remotely controlled automatic weapons, that use AI to automatically detect individuals and track them. Because of concerns over friendly fire, he says they don't have an auto-fire option.

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

Ethical Concerns and International Regulations

There are also concerns that AI-driven technologies could breach the laws of armed conflict. How will they avoid harming civilians, or distinguish soldiers who wish to yield?

For the deputy defence minister, the ultimate choice in these cases must be made by a human, although AI would make it "simpler to choose". Yet there are no guarantees that states or militant factions will adhere to global humanitarian standards.

Therefore counteracting such technologies becomes even more critical.

How can one halt a "mass of unmanned craft" when jamming or using aircraft, armored vehicles or missiles is rendered ineffective?

Ukraine's very effective "Web" mission, when a hundred drones attacked Russian military airports in June, was probably assisted by AI tools.

Numerous locals worry that the adversary will copy that tactic, not just on the battlefront but beyond it too.

The country's leader warned the UN recently that AI was fueling "the worst 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 atomic arms."