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

This proved to be far from typical drone either, it was revealed. Assisted by AI, this unmanned aerial vehicle can find and strike targets on its own.

The consultant has examined many drones in his role as Ukrainian military advisor.

Unlike other models, it did not transmit or accept any signals, causing it to could not disrupted.

Both sides' militaries are experimenting with AI in this war, and in some areas are now deploying it, to assist in target identification, intelligence collection and clearing mines.

And for the Ukrainian army, AI has become indispensable.

"The military receives over 50,000 footage feeds [from the battlefield] every month that get analysed by artificial intelligence," states the deputy defence minister.

"This helps them quickly handle this massive data, identify targets and mark them on a map."

AI-Driven Technology as a Strategic Asset

AI-enhanced technology is regarded as a instrument that can enhance strategic planning, make the most of assets and in the end save lives.

However when it comes to unmanned weapons systems, it is also revolutionizing the battlefield.

The country's soldiers currently employ AI-powered software enabling unmanned aircraft fix on a target and then fly autonomously for the final segment until the operation is over.

Signal disruption cannot be done and destroying such a small flying object proves difficult.

In the future these systems are expected to become completely independent weapons that can find and eliminate targets on their own.

An operator must do is press a icon on a mobile application, notes a tech executive, chief executive of a local developer.

It will do everything else, he says, locating the objective, dropping munitions, assessing the damage and then coming back to headquarters.

"And it would not even require piloting skills from the user," he continues.

Interceptor Systems and Upcoming Advancements

Interceptor drones with such autonomous capability could greatly strengthen air defences against enemy remote strike aircraft, like the notorious Shaheds.

"A computer-guided autonomous system is better than a human in numerous aspects," says Azhnyuk. "It is more perceptive. It detects the objective sooner than a person. It can be quicker."

The official indicates that kind of technology does not exist yet, but he mentions Ukraine is close to completing its development. "We have partially integrated it in certain equipment," states the deputy defence minister.

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

Cautions and Dangers of Full Autonomy

But Ukrainian developers are wary of completely relying on military technologies that depend solely on AI, without any operator input. The danger is that AI might not differentiate a Ukrainian soldier from a hostile combatant, since both could be using the identical attire, says an engineer, who asked to remain anonymous.

The firm makes remotely controlled automatic weapons, that use AI to automatically detect people and follow them. Because of concerns over accidental attacks, he says they avoid including an auto-fire feature.

"We can enable it, but we need to get more experience and additional input from the ground forces to understand when it is safe to employ this capability."

Ethical Concerns and International Rules

There are also concerns that automated systems will violate the laws of armed conflict. How will they avoid injuring non-combatants, or tell apart personnel who wish to yield?

For the deputy defence minister, the final decision in these cases must be made by a human, although AI could make it "easier to decide". But it's not certain that states or militant factions will follow international humanitarian norms.

So counteracting such technologies becomes increasingly important.

How do you halt a "swarm of drones" when jamming or using jets, armored vehicles or rockets proves useless?

The nation's very effective "Spider Web" operation, when 100 drones attacked enemy air bases last June, was probably assisted by AI tools.

Many in Ukraine worry that Moscow will copy that tactic, not just on the battlefront but further afield as well.

The country's president cautioned the UN last month that AI was contributing to "the worst arms race in human history."

He called for international regulations for the application of AI in armaments, and stated the issue was "just as urgent as preventing the spread of atomic arms."