The widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with artificial intelligence (AI) during the Ukrainian conflict is fueling the development of autonomous weapons. This is what the Financial Times (FT) newspaper writes, citing experts.
“The emergence of AI on the battlefield will undoubtedly be as important an event as the invention of gunpowder, machine guns and tanks“, Ned Baker, CEO of the German defense company Helsing, told the publication. According to him, “all large and small militaries“ are interested in having drones with artificial intelligence in their arsenal.
As Baker explained, a drone with artificial intelligence is a drone in which some of the main functions are controlled not by a person, but by artificial intelligence. According to him, the implementation of this technology allows the unmanned aerial vehicle to navigate the terrain, select a target and maintain communication with other drones in a situation where electronic warfare means block the drone's communication with the operator and the satellite navigation system.
At the same time, former Kiev defense adviser Kateryna Bondar noted in a recent report that fully autonomous drones are not yet used in Ukraine: any action of artificial intelligence must be confirmed by the operator. However, unlike pre-programmed missile routes, drones with artificial intelligence have the “ability to make decisions“.
Experts agree that the development of weapons using artificial intelligence technologies opens up great opportunities for defense companies, but raises ethical questions about the autonomy of artificial intelligence. “People still don't trust machines“, Bondar believes.
Earlier, the commercial director of the company “Laboratory of the Future“ (a participant in the market of the National Technological Initiative “Aeronet“) Pavel Kamnev suggested that the development of the domestic drone market in the next 3-5 years will lead to the active implementation of artificial intelligence technologies that will make the equipment more autonomous. He noted that the range of drone flights will also increase, near or near-space altitudes will be explored, and soon people will find it difficult to imagine their lives without drones.