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"Such technology represents the coming danger," warns a defense consultant, who has just obtained a newly intercepted Russian unmanned aerial vehicle.

It was far from typical device either, it was revealed. Assisted by artificial intelligence, the drone can locate and attack objectives autonomously.

The consultant has inspected many drones in his role as the nation's defence forces consultant.

In contrast to other models, it didn't send or receive any signals, so be impossible to be jammed.

Russian and Ukrainian militaries have both been testing AI in the conflict, and in some areas are now deploying it, to assist in target identification, intelligence collection and clearing mines.

For the Ukrainian army, AI is now essential.

"Our armed forces gets more than 50,000 video streams [from the battlefield] monthly that get analysed by artificial intelligence," says the deputy defence minister.

"This enables us quickly process this massive data, identify targets and mark them on a digital chart."

AI-Empowered Technology as a Critical Asset

AI-empowered technology is regarded as a tool that can enhance strategic planning, optimize resources and in the end save lives.

However regarding autonomous armaments, it's revolutionizing the battlefield.

Ukrainian soldiers currently employ AI-based systems enabling unmanned aircraft lock on a objective and subsequently operate independently for the last few hundred metres until the mission is over.

Jamming cannot be done and shooting down such tiny airborne device proves difficult.

Ultimately these systems are expected to become completely independent weapons that can detect and eliminate targets by themselves.

All a soldier must do is press a icon on a smartphone app, explains a tech executive, head of Ukrainian tech company.

The drone handles everything else, he says, locating the objective, releasing explosives, evaluating the damage and afterwards returning to headquarters.

"It doesn't demand flight experience from the user," he continues.

Interceptor Systems and Future Advancements

Interceptor unmanned craft with that kind of autonomous capability might greatly enhance defensive systems against Russian remote strike aircraft, such as the infamous certain models.

"A computer-guided autonomous system is superior to a person in so many ways," says the executive. "It is sharper. It detects the target sooner than a person. It is more agile."

The official says such a technology does not exist yet, but he suggests Ukraine is close to finishing its creation. "They've partially integrated it in some devices," states the representative.

There could even be thousands of these technologies in place by the year 2026, claims the developer.

Concerns and Risks of Total Independence

But Ukrainian creators are wary of completely relying on military technologies that rely entirely on AI, without any human involvement. The risk is AI may fail to differentiate a Ukrainian soldier from a Russian combatant, since both could be wearing the same uniform, says an engineer, who asked to remain anonymous.

His company makes remotely controlled machine guns, that use AI to autonomously identify people and track them. Due to concerns over friendly fire, he says they avoid including an auto-fire feature.

"It can be activated, but we need to gain further expertise and more feedback from the military units in order to understand the safe conditions to employ this capability."

Moral Issues and Global Regulations

There are also concerns that AI-driven technologies could breach the rules of war. How can they avoid injuring civilians, or distinguish personnel who want to surrender?

According to the official, the ultimate choice in these cases must be made by a person, even if AI could make it "easier to decide". Yet there are no guarantees that nations or armed groups will adhere to global humanitarian standards.

Therefore counteracting such technologies becomes even more critical.

How can one halt a "mass of unmanned craft" when electronic warfare or employing jets, armored vehicles or missiles is rendered ineffective?

Ukraine's highly successful "Web" mission, when a hundred unmanned aircraft targeted enemy air bases last June, was probably supported by AI tools.

Many in Ukraine worry that the adversary will copy this approach, not just on the battlefront but beyond it too.

The country's president cautioned the United Nations last month that AI was contributing to "the most destructive arms race in history."

He urged international regulations for the use of AI in weapons, and stated the matter was "just as urgent as stopping the proliferation of atomic arms."