How AI drones are influencing the course of the Ukraine war

A drone operator with the military call sign Professor operates a Lupynis-10-TFL-1 from The Fourth Law at a test site in central Ukraine. Paula Bronstein/for NPR hide caption Paula Bronstein/for NPR KYIV, Ukraine — Like many tech entrepreneurs in Ukraine, Yaroslav Azhnyuk turned to developing drone warfare after Russia's 2022 invasion. Drones have transformed the way wars are fought. Azhnyuk says artificial intelligence is making drones faster and more capable. "When the other side has orders of magnitudes higher capabilities, it gives you an asymmetric advantage," he says. "It can make you 10,000 times more effective." Azhnyuk runs the Ukraine-based defense firms The Fourth Law and Odd Systems. They are among the top companies producing AI-powered drones in Ukraine. Dozens of Ukrainian military units already use their autonomous drone, called the Lupynis-10-TFL-1. Russia is also deploying AI-enabled drones against Ukraine. AI warfare is part of a high-tech arms race that has many worried, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He has warned that AI could lead decisions on the battlefield as soon as next year. Azhnyuk told NPR that he acknowledges the concern over destr...