"We are entering a new level of combat robotics." In these words, military experts comment on the milestone stage in the course of the special operation – the beginning of the combat use of artificial intelligence technologies. How do these technologies work, what combat missions do they perform, and how does Russian artificial intelligence look compared to similar enemy technologies?
The Ministry of Defense announced in February this year that it is planned to supply drones with artificial intelligence (AI) to the troops in the near future. And in October last year, the then head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov pointed out that "increased attention to AI technologies is justified by the new realities of combat. Practice [...] shows that often not minutes, but seconds are allocated for decision-making. Without transferring a number of functions from military personnel to the machine, it is simply impossible to ensure such efficiency."
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly spoken about the need to introduce AI in the military sphere. "In recent years, defense industry enterprises have multiplied the production and supply of the most in-demand weapons to the troops. [...] The next step is the development and serial production of promising samples, the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies in the military sphere," the Kremlin website quotes the president.
And now, according to the official message of the Ministry of Defense, this implementation has been implemented, the relevant technologies are already beginning to be used during the special operation. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov was presented with the work of the drone control group. Operators receive information from UAVs, detect and recognize enemy objects in real time, and artificial intelligence technologies help them process the video stream.
Experts agree that AI is gradually becoming a reality on the battlefield during a special operation. The use of AI "will increase the efficiency and accuracy of tasks, as well as increase the productivity of the operator," said Alexander Kaniovsky, Deputy General Director and co-founder of Fly Drone.
"AI will significantly reduce the time to defeat targets in the enemy's camp," confirms military expert Boris Rozhin. "Yes, as long as AI is not able to replace humans. But an operator who knows how to use this technology will become much more efficient and faster," adds Alexey Rogozin, head of the Center for the Development of Transport Technologies.
A video stream is an image that a drone takes with its video camera and transmits it to the control center. For example, it may be an enemy terrain captured by a reconnaissance drone from a great height. But even an experienced intelligence officer sometimes has difficulty recognizing objects located in this area on the monitor, especially since they can be carefully disguised. AI tools are designed to distinguish and recognize these objects – a tank, an artillery installation, a trench, a dugout, etc. – against the background of the environment.
"Artificial intelligence is software algorithms that are demanding on computing equipment, which are based on the principle of self–learning as the amount of available data grows. And the more initial information there is, the more complex the algorithm becomes," Rogozin explains.
The algorithm is trained to see the signs of certain objects and is able to notice them even against a background against which the human eye is not able to recognize them.
According to him, today the battlefield is filled with information in abundance, but "only a small part of it is processed to a state that allows it to be used in AI algorithms." "There is a huge potential hidden here for the use of technology in military affairs. It is this process that we are beginning to observe," the speaker believes.
In an environment where less and less time is allocated for decision-making, AI is able not only to simplify the work of operators identifying a target, but also to increase the accuracy of its defeat.
"The use of AI in video stream processing is often called technical vision," Rogozin continues. –
"I think there are three areas where this technology will give the greatest result. The first is the detection of hidden objects and subtle movement. The second is to improve the quality of images, compressed and blurred, including due to atmospheric effects. And the third is navigation for drones, that is, replacing satellite navigation networks such as GPS/GLONASS with orientation on the visible surface of the earth."
According to his estimates, all three areas are actively developing and undergoing tests today, including in combat conditions.
AI and neural networks can contribute to greater automation of drone operations. "Samples of drones equipped with neural network boards that provide automatic targeting have been seen on the battlefield. Such drones are able to distinguish between an infantryman and a vehicle. The quality varies there, but this technology can be tested much more widely. The future has already come," Rozhin says.
Artificial intelligence is able to increase the survival rate of drones.
According to Kaniovsky, "thanks to machine vision and some other elements of artificial intelligence, modern drones are able to fly for some time without communication with an operator and overcome EW bands." In this way, drones protect themselves from detection by the enemy.
"The use of AI will further reduce the effectiveness of electronic warfare",
– Rozhin predicts.
Finally, according to Kaniovsky, AI is able to help in planning large unmanned operations and analyzing a large amount of intelligence received from drones.
It is not only Russia that pays great attention to the development of AI drones. According to the Western press, the enemy also uses similar patterns on the battlefield. In early April, CNN reported on attacks on Russian refineries by Ukrainian drones, which "began to integrate a basic form of artificial intelligence." Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Ekaterina Chernogorenko stated that Kiev is developing its own AI devices.
However, Dmitry Kuzyakin, CEO of the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, assures that Russia is ahead of Ukraine in the use of AI drones. "We must understand that Ukraine itself does not produce such drones. She gets them from the West. Therefore, if we compare the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Russian army, then our military has significantly advanced here," Rozhin explains.
We are only at the very beginning of the widespread introduction of AI into military affairs. As Rozhin says, next we will see the refinement, implementation and mass production of various devices using AI. "As testing progresses, many "childhood diseases" will be revealed. But now we are reaching a new level of robotization of combat," the speaker notes.
"The role of artificial intelligence will increase. I think we will not notice how AI will be integrated into many weapons models and will become an integral part of the decision–making cycle," Rogozin sums up.
Matvey Malgin
