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"This innovation constitutes our coming danger," cautions a defense consultant, that has just acquired a newly intercepted enemy drone.

It was no ordinary device either, he discovered. Powered by artificial intelligence, this unmanned aerial vehicle can locate and attack objectives on its own.

The consultant has examined numerous unmanned systems in his capacity as Ukrainian defence forces consultant.

Unlike previous versions, the drone didn't send or accept communications, causing it to be impossible to disrupted.

Both sides' militaries are experimenting with AI in this war, and in some areas are now using it, to assist in finding targets, gathering intelligence and clearing mines.

And for the Ukrainian army, AI is now indispensable.

"Our military receives over 50,000 video streams [from the battlefield] every month which are analysed by AI," says Ukraine's defense official.

"It helps them rapidly process this massive data, identify targets and mark them on a map."

AI-Empowered Technology as a Critical Tool

AI-enhanced tech is regarded as a instrument that can enhance military strategy, make the most of resources and ultimately protect personnel.

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

Ukrainian troops currently employ AI-powered systems so that unmanned aircraft lock on a target and subsequently fly autonomously for the final segment until the operation concludes.

Signal disruption is impossible and destroying such a small flying object is not easy.

In the future these systems are expected to become fully autonomous weapons that are able to find and eliminate objectives on their own.

An operator will need to do is tap a button on a smartphone app, explains a tech executive, chief executive of Ukrainian tech company.

The drone handles everything else, he says, locating the objective, releasing explosives, assessing the impact and then coming back to base.

"And it would not even require piloting skills from the soldier," he adds.

Defensive Systems and Upcoming Developments

Defensive drones with such autonomous capability might greatly enhance defensive systems targeting Russian remote strike aircraft, like the infamous certain models.

"An AI-driven self-operating unit is superior to a human in numerous aspects," says Azhnyuk. "It is sharper. It detects the objective faster than a human can. It can be quicker."

The official indicates such a system does not exist yet, but he mentions Ukraine is close to finishing its development. "We have partly implemented it in certain equipment," says the deputy defence minister.

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

Cautions and Dangers of Total Autonomy

But Local developers are cautious about fully making use of defence systems that rely entirely on AI, without any human involvement. The danger is AI may fail to distinguish a Ukrainian soldier from a hostile combatant, as they may be using the identical attire, notes Vadym, who declined to give his surname.

His company makes remote-operated machine guns, that employ artificial intelligence to automatically detect individuals and track them. Because of worries about friendly fire, he says they avoid including an auto-fire option.

"It can be activated, but we need to gain further expertise and additional input from the ground forces in order to determine the safe conditions to employ this capability."

Moral Issues and Global Regulations

There are also fears that AI-driven technologies will violate the laws of armed conflict. How can they prevent injuring civilians, or distinguish soldiers who wish to yield?

According to the official, the ultimate choice in these cases should rest with a human, although AI would make it "simpler to choose". Yet there are no guarantees that states or militant factions will follow international humanitarian norms.

So counteracting these systems becomes even more important.

How do you stop a "mass of unmanned craft" when jamming or using jets, tanks or rockets proves useless?

Ukraine's highly successful "Web" mission, when a hundred unmanned aircraft attacked enemy military airports in June, was probably assisted by AI tools.

Many in Ukraine worry that Moscow will copy that tactic, not only on the front line but further afield as well.

Ukraine's president cautioned the United Nations recently that AI was contributing to "the worst weapons competition in history."

He urged global rules for the use of AI in weapons, and said the matter is "equally pressing as preventing the spread of nuclear weapons."