Ukraine's intelligence chief explains AI use and future of 'combat robots'
Photo: Head of the Ministry of Defense's GUR Kirill Budanov (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR), Kyrylo Budanov, explained how Ukrainian intelligence uses artificial intelligence in its operations. According to his statement at the forum Information Warfare: From Resistance to Resilience, AI technologies are most often applied to processing large volumes of data.
"We mostly use artificial intelligence in the context of processing large amounts of information. This includes working with databases, millions of gigabytes of data, where it can be impossible to find exactly what you need. Artificial intelligence manages this issue more or less," Budanov said.
As for the use of AI in weapons systems, the head of HUR noted that so far he does not see "serious progress" in this area, contrary to what many might imagine.
"I believe it will exist, but for now it does not. As for individual elements used in drones – such as target correction and similar technologies – yes, but this is far from what everyone imagines," Budanov noted.
He expressed confidence that the situation will change within the next decade.
"I believe that in the next 10 years we will see a real combat robot. But this will not happen today or tomorrow," the head of HUR added.
How Ukraine uses artificial intelligence in the war with Russia
Ukraine is using a number of domestic artificial intelligence systems that allow drones to reach targets on the battlefield without pilot involvement, enabling them to remain effective in areas protected by strong electronic countermeasures.
In particular, the country operates the Brave1 defense technology support cluster, which is designed to accelerate the delivery of innovations to the battlefield.
At its launch, the catalog featured around 1,000 innovative solutions, including UAVs, ground robots, electronic warfare components, AI-based tools, software, and munitions.
The cluster for developing military technologies in Ukraine was established by the Ministry of Digital Transformation. Its head recently told RBC-Ukraine in an interview that strengthening the autonomy of drones through AI will eventually make it possible to remove operators from the battlefield.
Mykhailo Fedorov also reported that ten companies are continuously competing in government tenders for the right to supply AI-based products.
