Ukraine is employing artificial intelligence-equipped drones to target objects in Russia’s oil and gas industry, reports CNN.
“The attacks have been made possible by the use of drones with longer ranges and more advanced capabilities, some of which have even begun to integrate a basic form of artificial intelligence to help them navigate and avoid being jammed, a source close to Ukraine’s drone program told CNN,” journalists write.
Each drone has an onboard computer with satellite and terrain data. “Accuracy under jamming is enabled through the use of artificial intelligence. … The flights are determined in advance with our allies, and the aircraft follow the flight plan to enable us to strike targets with meters of precision,” the source said.
The drone’s sensors ensure the precision of the strikes. “They have this thing called ‘machine vision,’ which is a form of AI. Basically you take a model and you have it on a chip and you train this model to identify geography and the target it is navigating to. When it is finally deployed, it is able to identify where it is,” said Noah Sylvia, a research analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, a UK-based think tank.
The drone does not require satellite communication and is fully autonomous. The level of artificial intelligence in the drone is still low, but developers speak of significant potential for the technology.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil and gas infrastructure are causing significant damage to Russia, for which this sector is one of the main sources of income for financing the war economy, journalists say.
Cover: open sources
