CONNECT WITH US

Tech

Ukraine used ten AI-controlled ‘Terminator’ drones to kill Russian soldiers two years ago, marking first autonomous killings of humans — autonomous killer quadcopters left ‘everything dead’ says senior Ukrainian defense industry figure

Published on

Ukraine used ten AI-controlled ‘Terminator’ drones to kill Russian soldiers two years ago, marking first autonomous killings of humans — autonomous killer quadcopters left ‘everything dead’ says senior Ukrainian defense industry figure

Ukraine used ten AI-controlled ‘Terminator’ drones to kill Russian soldiers two years ago, marking first autonomous killings of humans — autonomous killer quadcopters left ‘everything dead’ says senior Ukrainian defense industry figure

News
By Mark Tyson last updated

‘We just launch it and we know everything will be dead,’ said a drone maker and technology supplier.

A watershed moment occurred on the battlefields of Ukraine in 2024 that we are only just hearing about today: the use of fully autonomous drones to kill humans. Ten fully autonomous quadcopter drones were sent to the front line by Ukraine with their AI-controlled ‘Terminator Mode’ engaged. “We just launch it and we know everything will be dead,” a drone maker, Alexander Kokhanovskyy, told New Scientist at a press event hosted by the Ukrainian embassy. Human-piloted drones were later sent to recce the target area, and the machine-slain victims were concluded to include “a couple of soldiers, one truck.”

The New Scientist interview provides the most compelling evidence yet that humans have been killed at the sole discretion of an AI. This wasn’t an accident of any kind, or an AI gone rogue; the 10 drones were sent to the front line purposely switched to an autonomous mode to search for and intercept targets. Significantly, “There is no connection to the drone at all, you cannot see the video, nothing… Everything it sees will be killed,” explained Kokhanovskyy.

So, human decision-making and judgment were removed for what is being characterized in the source report as a one-off test mission. That we are only hearing about it two years after the fact perhaps reflects on the gravity of engaging the Terminator Mode of the drones for (perhaps) the first time in an actual battle.

Latest Videos From

A Rubicon moment for modern warfare?

As the source notes, there is no official ban on using autonomous weapons that can kill without human intervention. However, last year the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, called for this red line to be drawn. The argument is that removing human judgment from warfare risks human rights. Moreover, at this stage of the development of this technology, AI-driven systems are frequently in the news for the mistakes they make.

Interestingly, Ukraine actually has a ban on fully autonomous final-stage targeting of humans by its drones. Other officials at the press conference where Kokhanovskyy spoke indicated that government decision-makers were in talks with defense companies about flexing the rules. However, it is likely not the first/only country to have crossed the Rubicon and allowed AI drones to inflict casualties on enemy soldiers.

Academics speaking to the New Scientist offered some interesting angles on the news of Terminator Mode-engaged drones being let loose on the battlefield. One described the news as horrendous and a theft of human dignity. Another concluded that the 2024 AI-drone attack near the cities of Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar must have demonstrated that it is better to keep humans in the loop for military effectiveness.

Google Preferred Source

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

Mark Tyson
Mark Tyson
News Editor

Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Findecanor
    There had been reports of drones killing autonomously even earlier: in 2020 during the Libyan civil war. Turkish-made STM - Kargu-2 quadcopter against Haftar soldiers.

    But autonomous killer robots is a touchy subject. This could be the first time when the people that had launched the drone have actually admitted to having used it.
    Reply
  • BloodLust2222
    Who would of thought Ukraine would be the world leader in drone technology for the battlefield. Some of what they have created are quite amazing.
    Reply
  • PEnns
    BloodLust2222 said:
    Who would of thought Ukraine would be the world leader in drone technology for the battlefield. Some of what they have created are quite amazing.
    Who would have thought?? Why, SKyNet of course!!

    There are documented incidents when jet fighters shot themselves with their own missiles or even their own guns (velocity and gravity are so underrated!!)

    So is it inconceivable those AI killer drones won't have a mishap, turn around and see another enemy who just launched them?
    What is that you say, they have a Friend or Foe modules?? Yeah, those can't be hacked at all!
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    PEnns said:
    There are documented incidents when jet fighters shot themselves with their own missiles or even their own guns (velocity and gravity are so underrated!!)
    What you may have read is MUCH rarer than it would seem to be, and almost always incorrect.
    Reply
  • BloodLust2222
    PEnns said:
    Who would have thought?? Why, SKyNet of course!!

    There are documented incidents when jet fighters shot themselves with their own missiles or even their own guns (velocity and gravity are so underrated!!)

    So is it inconceivable those AI killer drones won't have a mishap, turn around and see another enemy who just launched them?
    What is that you say, they have a Friend or Foe modules?? Yeah, those can't be hacked at all!
    Pure rubbish.
    Reply
  • PEnns
    BloodLust2222 said:
    Pure rubbish.
    It's not rubbish and you know it (I am being kind today)

    But I suspect the better grammatical use of "would have" instead of "would of" upset you!
    Reply
  • PEnns
    USAFRet said:
    What you may have read is MUCH rarer than it would seem to be, and almost always incorrect.
    Incorrect? Let Google be your friend.

    PS: Rare doesn't mean it didn't happen. And in this context, jamming / taking over software system is not rare at all, especially in 2026
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    PEnns said:
    Incorrect? Let Google be your friend.

    PS: Rare doesn't mean it didn't happen. And in this context, jamming / taking over software system is not rare at all, especially in 2026
    Please..point to a specific incident.

    And we weren't talking about software being hijacked.

    An incident where an aircraft shot itself down with guns or missiles.
    Reply
  • PEnns
    USAFRet said:
    Please..point to a specific incident.

    And we weren't talking about software being hijacked.

    An incident where an aircraft shot itself down with guns or missiles.

    With pleasure, I am bit surprised considering your background, but anyway, here goes:

    These US Military Jets Accidentally Shot Themselves Down
    Possibly there are more cases, foreign or local, but most likely the embarrassment factor never made them go public!
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    PEnns said:
    With pleasure, I am bit surprised considering your background, but anyway, here goes:

    These US Military Jets Accidentally Shot Themselves Down
    Possibly there are more cases, foreign or local, but most likely the embarrassment factor never made them go public!
    Yes, the F11,1956, in testing.
    70 years ago.
    The F-14, 1973, in testing.


    Testing is where incidents like this are supposed to happen, if at all.
    This allows everyone to work the kinks out.

    Weapons separation in various flight regimes is a major part of new aircraft deployment.
    Bomb, missiles, bullets can all act differently based on speed, altitude, attitude, etc, etc.

    There are multiple other incidents that have happened, in testing.


    And none have anything to do with the aircraft or software being taken over from outside.
    All a matter of ballistics and airflow.
    Reply


Source link
Related Topics:#Tech

Disclaimer

We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We StartupNews.fyi want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It's possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.

Google Preferred Source