Ukraine A Living Lab for AI Warfare
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, and both sides’ concomitant uses of artificial intelligence and drones, have triggered a debate over the future of warfare: ‘whether the conflict represents conventional warfare or some revolutionary type of contest.’ Robin Fontes and Jorrit Kamminga argue that, while the war is not yet revolutionary, ‘Ukraine is a laboratory in which the next form of warfare is being created.’
So-called ‘algorithmic warfare’ has been anticipated for years. A ‘vision of a truly networked battlefield’ has been present in both the development of AI and adjacent technologies as well as in geopolitical competition. Advancements in machine learning enable a range of commercial actors to assist Ukrainian forces on the battlefield with AI-enabled data analytics and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The conflict is, in this sense, ‘unique.’