The illegal invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s Russia has become something of a showcase for the future of warfare. Specifically, it is one of the first times in which drones have been deployed on such a large scale and play a crucial role in the military strategies of both sides, with footage from Ukrainian drones being plastered all over the internet, while Russia uses mass-produced drones to support their advancement. It has brought in a new age of war, where the battlefield has 24-hour, real-time surveillance, and weapons can cross enemy lines more easily than ever.
The Russo-Ukrainian war also happened to coincide with the ‘AI boom’ of 2023, where Artificial intelligence made its break into the mainstream, with its impacts being truly felt in day-to-day life, which was also the situation on the frontlines of the war. In 2022, drones running on Palantir’s Edge AI were supplied to Ukraine, and are still a major part of the Ukrainian war effort, but it begs the question: are AI drones ethical?
The most cited moral problem with drones using Artificial Intelligence is that it removes the psychological influences on taking a human life entirely, which leaves little to no room for moral decision-making. The drone has its mission, and there’s not much more to it than that. But it’s more than just emotion and moral judgment; it’s about accountability. If AI drones can act with near-complete autonomy, who is held accountable for civilian casualties or damage to infrastructure? This point is made best by Dr Elke Schwarz, who says, “We don’t want to get to a point where AI is used to make a decision to take a life when no human can be held responsible for that decision.” This, judging by polls, seems to be the opinion held by most of the public, with a poll held by ITIF saying that as much as 79% of Americans say that the decision to take a life should always be made by a human, not an algorithm.
The advantages of this kind of technology are, however, undeniable. In July 2025, Ukrainian Robots and Drones captured territory at Kharkiv Oblast, causing the Russian soldiers there to surrender without any engagement by Ukrainian Infantry. While these were manned drones, the development of autonomous military technology could lead to an era where boots-on-the-ground become increasingly rare, which could help minimise the casualties of servicemen in the field.
The use of AI drones also doesn’t necessarily need to be for fighting against other soldiers. Companies like Fly4future have been innovating in drones designed to hunt enemy drones that may be breaching the vicinity of prisons or airports, which in a military context can also be used to protect soldiers from enemy drones, which seems to be the responsible decision if the market is moving on the direction of AI drones anyway. They can also be used purely for surveillance, to inspect power lines, and even to detect radiation, all services that are valuable in a warzone, but may not be explicitly used for fighting.
The question then worth asking is this: is the innovation in this technology worth the moral implications of fighting wars using AI processing, rather than a human conscience? The reality is that the greatest threats to the West, Russia and China, are developing these weapons for their own use. Not to invest in that technology is nothing short of irresponsible and puts troops like the brave soldiers fighting in Ukraine at a disadvantage. Russia, which has made its willingness to breach international law clear, is reportedly developing the ‘Lancet’ drone, capable of circling above cities and picking off targets without any human input. The West innovating in AI drone technology with the ability to fight back against opposition drones is a necessity in entering the future of warfare.
AI use in robotics in the Ukrainian war has been a window into how wars of the future are likely to be fought, regardless of the moral debate around allowing a machine or an algorithm to decide whether a life can be taken. With the services that AI combat drones can provide beyond killing, it is regrettable that the practicality of developing and using this technology outweighs the moral grey area, as it has the potential to save just as many lives, if not more, than it risks. It is crucial that the West innovates in this equipment, as hostile actors do not possess the same moral qualms as the Western democracies, and failing to innovate only puts soldiers’ lives at risk.