A Ukrainian drone manufacturer claims fully autonomous drones killed Russian soldiers during a battlefield test two years ago, according to a report by New Scientist. The incident, described as a one-time experiment, was revealed by Alexander Kokhanovskyy, CEO of Aero Center, during an interview with the publication at a press event hosted by the Ukrainian embassy in London. Kokhanovskyy explained that the drones were preprogrammed to fly to a front-line area and then activated an AI-powered 'Terminator mode' to seek out and attack any target in the area. No video feed or other evidence was provided to confirm the targets, but human-piloted drones later found 'a couple' of dead Russian soldiers, leading to the conclusion that the autonomous drones had killed them.
Ukraine’s military commander emphasized that drone pilots use semi-autonomous systems where humans make crucial control decisions, and the military adheres to international humanitarian law by exercising 'great care in decision-making to prevent civilian casualties.' The one-time nature of the experiment reflects practical limitations and legal considerations, as fully autonomous drones pose risks of 'friendly fire' or attacks on noncombatants. It remains unclear how effective these drones were in target selection compared to human operators. There is currently no universally agreed definition of a lethal autonomous weapon system, but common descriptions include systems that can 'perform their functions in the absence of direction or input from a human actor.'
Ukraine’s defense industry has focused on training small AI models on limited datasets to run on inexpensive chips, enabling crucial autonomous functions such as navigation and target recognition. These capabilities are being integrated into drones and other systems, even if fully autonomous weapons remain rare. Ukraine has launched over 5,000 drone strikes against Russian targets monthly, with AI-driven navigation improving strike success rates from 10-20% to 70-80%, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The use of AI in drones continues to evolve, complementing human decision-making on the battlefield.
Source: arstechnica
