By Emmanuel Ogbodo
Ukrainian tech startups like Vyriy and Swarmer are developing AI-powered drones to assist in the ongoing conflict with Russia. These drones can operate in synchronized fleets, completing strikes or surveillance missions autonomously, without continuous human intervention. Swarmer CEO Serhiy Kupriienko highlights the necessity of automation at scale, stating that managing a swarm of 10 to 20 drones manually is nearly impossible, whereas AI can handle “hundreds” simultaneously.
Ukraine has been using drones in its defense for over a year, but Russian signal jamming has been a significant issue, disrupting human-operated drones mid-flight. AI-powered drones, however, are immune to this problem since they don’t rely on continuous signals once a mission is assigned. This capability enhances their operational reliability and effectiveness.
The AI lead for a Ukraine-backed tech accelerator noted that the ultimate goal is to deploy drones with no human connection on the front lines, aiming for more effective AI-guided strikes. Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, emphasized that maximum automation is crucial for Ukraine’s victory.
Some autonomous drones are already active on the battlefield, targeting Russian assets such as oil refineries using machine vision technology. Autonomous weaponized helicopters are also in development, potentially reducing the need for direct human involvement further.
Noah Sylvia, a research analyst at the UK think tank Royal United Services Institute, explained that the AI drones use machine vision, a form of AI trained to identify geographic and target-specific features.
While the use of autonomous drones raises ethical concerns, it could decrease the human cost of the war. As of August last year, Ukraine’s death toll exceeded 70,000 according to a report cited by Congress. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported a lower figure of 31,000 Ukrainian troop deaths as of February this year.