"Such technology represents our future threat," warns Serhiy Beskrestnov, that has just acquired a recently captured Russian drone.
This proved to be far from typical drone either, he discovered. Powered by artificial intelligence, the unmanned aerial vehicle is able to find and strike targets on its own.
The consultant has examined numerous unmanned systems in his role as the nation's defence forces consultant.
In contrast to other models, the drone did not transmit or receive any signals, causing it to could not be jammed.
Russian and Ukrainian forces have both been experimenting with AI in the conflict, and in some areas are now using it, to assist in target identification, gathering intelligence and de-mining.
For the Ukrainian army, AI has become indispensable.
"Our military receives over 50,000 footage feeds [from the battlefield] monthly which are processed by AI," says Ukraine's deputy defence minister.
"It enables us quickly process this massive data, pinpoint objectives and mark them on a map."
AI-empowered technology is seen as a instrument that can enhance strategic planning, optimize resources and ultimately protect personnel.
However when it comes to unmanned weapons systems, it's revolutionizing the battlefield.
The country's soldiers currently employ AI-powered software so that drones lock on a objective and then fly autonomously for the last few hundred metres till the mission is over.
Jamming is impossible and destroying such tiny airborne device proves difficult.
Ultimately such technologies will likely become fully autonomous armaments that can find and destroy objectives by themselves.
An operator will need to do is press a icon on a smartphone app, notes Yaroslav Azhnyuk, head of a local developer.
It will do the rest, he says, locating the target, dropping explosives, assessing the impact and afterwards returning to base.
"And it would not even require piloting skills from the user," he adds.
Interceptor drones with such automation could greatly enhance air defences targeting Russian long-range attack drones, like the infamous certain models.
"An AI-driven autonomous system is better than a human in so many ways," says Azhnyuk. "It can be more perceptive. It can see the objective sooner than a human can. It can be more agile."
The deputy defence minister says that kind of system does not exist yet, but he mentions the country is close to completing its development. "They've partly implemented it in some devices," says the representative.
It's possible there will be many thousands of these technologies deployed by the year 2026, claims the developer.
However Local creators are cautious about completely relying on defence systems that rely entirely on AI, with no human involvement. The risk is AI may fail to differentiate a friendly fighter from a hostile one, as they may be wearing the same uniform, notes an engineer, who asked to remain anonymous.
The firm makes remote-operated machine guns, that employ artificial intelligence to automatically detect people and follow them. Due to worries about accidental attacks, he states they avoid including an auto-fire feature.
"It can be activated, but we need to get more experience and additional input from the ground forces in order to determine when it is safe to use this feature."
Additionally, there are fears that AI-driven technologies will violate the rules of war. How can they avoid injuring civilians, or distinguish soldiers who want to surrender?
For the deputy defence minister, the final decision in such circumstances should rest with a person, even if AI could make it "simpler to choose". Yet there are no guarantees that nations or militant factions will follow global humanitarian standards.
Therefore neutralizing these systems becomes increasingly critical.
How can one stop a "swarm of drones" when electronic warfare or using aircraft, tanks or missiles proves useless?
The nation's very effective "Web" operation, when a hundred unmanned aircraft targeted enemy air bases last June, was probably assisted by AI tools.
Many in Ukraine worry that Moscow may replicate this approach, not only on the front line but beyond it too.
The country's president warned the UN recently that AI was fueling "the most destructive arms race in history."
He urged global rules for the use of AI in weapons, and said the matter was "just as urgent as preventing the spread of atomic arms."
A passionate writer and traveler sharing insights on personal growth and lifestyle from a UK perspective.
