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"This innovation constitutes the coming danger," cautions Serhiy Beskrestnov, that recently acquired a recently captured Russian drone.

This proved to be no ordinary drone as well, he discovered. Powered by artificial intelligence, the unmanned aerial vehicle can find and strike objectives on its own.

The consultant has examined numerous unmanned systems in his capacity as Ukrainian military advisor.

In contrast to previous versions, it didn't send or receive communications, so could not disrupted.

Both sides' militaries have both been testing AI in this war, and in some areas are now deploying it, for finding targets, intelligence collection and clearing mines.

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

"Our armed forces receives over 50,000 video streams [from the front line] every month which are processed by artificial intelligence," states the deputy defence minister.

"This enables us quickly handle huge volumes of information, identify targets and place them on a map."

AI-Empowered Technology as a Critical Tool

AI-enhanced technology is regarded as a instrument that can enhance strategic planning, optimize assets and in the end protect personnel.

However regarding autonomous armaments, it is also revolutionizing the warzone.

The country's soldiers already use AI-based systems enabling unmanned aircraft lock on a target and then operate independently for the last few hundred metres till the mission concludes.

Jamming is impossible and destroying such a small flying object proves difficult.

In the future these systems are expected to become fully autonomous armaments that can find and eliminate objectives by themselves.

All a soldier must do is tap a icon on a smartphone app, explains Yaroslav Azhnyuk, head of Ukrainian developer.

The drone will do the rest, according to him, finding the target, dropping explosives, evaluating the damage and then coming back to base.

"It doesn't demand piloting skills from the soldier," he continues.

Defensive Systems and Upcoming Developments

Defensive unmanned craft with such autonomous capability could greatly strengthen defensive systems targeting Russian remote strike aircraft, like the notorious certain models.

"A computer-guided autonomous system is better than a human in numerous aspects," says the executive. "It is more perceptive. It can see the target faster than a person. It is quicker."

The official says that kind of system is not yet available, but he suggests the country is nearing completing its creation. "We have partially integrated it in certain equipment," states the representative.

It's possible there will be many thousands of such systems deployed by the year 2026, claims Azhnyuk.

Concerns and Risks of Full Autonomy

But Ukrainian developers are cautious about fully making use of defence systems that rely entirely on AI, with no human involvement. The risk is AI might not differentiate a friendly fighter from a hostile combatant, as they may be wearing the same uniform, says an engineer, who declined to give his surname.

His company produces remotely controlled automatic weapons, that use AI to automatically detect individuals and follow them. Because of concerns over accidental attacks, he states they don't have an auto-fire option.

"We can enable it, but we must get more experience and additional input from the military units to understand the safe conditions to use this feature."

Ethical Concerns and Global Regulations

Additionally, there are concerns that automated systems could breach the laws of armed conflict. How can they prevent harming civilians, or distinguish personnel who wish to yield?

According to the official, the ultimate choice in such circumstances should rest with a person, even if AI would make it "simpler to choose". But it's not certain that nations or militant factions will adhere to global humanitarian standards.

Therefore counteracting these systems becomes increasingly important.

How can one stop a "mass of unmanned craft" when electronic warfare or using jets, armored vehicles or missiles proves useless?

Ukraine's very effective "Web" operation, when a hundred unmanned aircraft attacked Russian military airports in June, was probably assisted by artificial intelligence.

Many in Ukraine worry that the adversary will copy that tactic, not only on the front line but beyond it as well.

The country's leader cautioned the UN recently that AI was contributing to "the worst weapons competition in history."

He called for global rules for the use of AI in armaments, and stated the issue was "just as urgent as preventing the proliferation of atomic arms."