Drones Fill Independence Day Parade... "Russia Used Lethal AI"

Drones launched from vehicles fill the sky.

Unmanned aerial vehicles, ground robots, and uncrewed boats also appear.

["A war we did not start, now we face it with experience."]

Local time yesterday, August 24, a military parade for the 35th Independence Day was held in Ukraine.

Held for the first time in four years since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, the event showcased a variety of Ukrainian drones that have dealt significant blows to Russia.

Unlike traditional parades centered on conventional weapons, putting drones forward as the main force was evaluated as clearly demonstrating the tactical shifts in modern warfare.

In fact, despite its strategic inferiority in the Black Sea region compared to Russia's conventional fleet, analysis shows that Ukraine is responding effectively using uncrewed vessels.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / President of Ukraine: I want to thank every citizen who helped Ukraine exist, and who helps it continue to exist.]

Foreign media reports have also emerged that Russia deployed lethal AI drones operating without human intervention during the strike on an energy facility in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, last month, which killed two civilians.

At the time, upon disassembling and analyzing a Russian drone, the Ukrainian military found that it was equipped with an ultra-compact computer from NVIDIA that allows the drone to autonomously determine and track targets.

In particular, it was confirmed that the drone was trained to identify and attack specific types of targets, and Ukraine believes that after flying to an approximate strike zone, the drone's AI selected the target and collided with it.

As both Ukraine and Russia strike each other with various drones, ethical controversies surrounding drone warfare are expected to heat up with the raised possibility of lethal AI usage.

Reported by Kwon Yeongin | Video edited by Park Na-young | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.