Ukraine’s secret weapon – artificial intelligence

Ukraine, which is outnumbered by Russia in manpower and resources, hopes that smart use of artificial intelligence will change the course of the war, both on the battlefield and in messaging.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has applied AI on the battlefield to document the war and protect itself from Russia’s cyber and information warfare.

On the battlefield, military and civilian Ukrainian autonomous drones identify and attack Russian targets. A.I. Automate takeoff and landing, as well as targeting. In October, there was a major drone attack by Ukraine, in which 16 unmanned aircraft and surface ships were deployed to damage Russian shipping in the occupied Crimea’s Sevastopol port.

These drones are increasingly being produced domestically, with around 200 Ukrainian companies producing military drones, and the government is determined to further expand domestic production. Makeshift FPV (first-person view) kamikaze drones assembled from imported parts are cheap and efficient. It only costs $400 to build a tank that can destroy millions of dollars worth of Russian tanks. Ukrainian experts say.

AI analyzes satellite and drone imagery, social media images, and intelligence information to create a multi-layered understanding of the situation on the ground. These “Military Google Maps” help Ukrainian military commanders make informed decisions.

The role of AI is important in documenting war. AI-powered facial recognition software has helped Ukrainian law enforcement and journalists identify Russian war criminals. Satellite images document Russian war crimes, including mass killings of civilians in Bucha and Mariupol, disproving repeated denials by Russian authorities.

AI also plans to rebuild Ukraine.Ukrainian AI trained by ReThink recognizes construction materials in damaged buildings in Bucha based on open source data and drone imagery. This information allows governments to plan the most efficient way to rebuild. A.I. I will help Identify areas where the Russians mined.

The Ukrainian government and independent media will use AI to combat Russian propaganda. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine held an exhibition in January 2019 entitled “Living in War”. German Bundestag. Ukrainian media such as Texty visualize the effects of the war and create interactive information. Show map of destruction Russia attacks Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Images generated by AI can be controversial. Earlier this year, Ukraine’s parliament was forced to delete a tweet about a Russian missile attack on the city of Dnipro. AI-generated image of injured boy. This use of AI undermines the credibility of information obtained from official Ukrainian sources.

AI can be a double-edged sword. Russia is using AI to automate the generation and distribution of misleading content. A 2022 deepfake video of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy calling on the Ukrainian people to surrender. Although it failed to convince the Ukrainians, experts warn that Russian AI is progressing.

Despite these risks, Ukrainians rely on new technologies in their information war with Russia.Ukrainian startups such as LetsData, Osableand praying mantis analysis, which analyzes large amounts of social media data. Their goal is to identify Kremlin-linked networks and track disinformation narratives. AI provides an opportunity to be proactive, conduct proactive banking, and for governments to organize preventive information campaigns.

Thanks to cyber defense technology shared with Ukraine by Western partners and tech companies, Kiev has been successful in repelling most attacks from Russia. At least 470 cyberattacks targeted Ukraine in the past year, but their impact was limited.

While the world is debating the impact of AI, Ukrainians are already seeing it, experiencing it, and most importantly, using it. Western countries have shared cutting-edge software, but more is needed. Given the numerical and resource disparity with Russia, AI is key to Ukraine’s hopes of winning the war.

Olga Tokariuk is a Fellow of the Chatham House Academy of the Ukraine Forum and a Non-Resident Fellow of the Democratic Resilience Program of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

Bandwidth is CEPA’s online journal dedicated to promoting transatlantic cooperation on technology policy. All opinions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the positions or views of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis.