Ukraine Counter-Offensive: How AI Has Shaped the War
The Role of Artificial Intelligence In the Ukraine War
Beginning in 2014, the Russo-Ukrainian War escalated in 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since then, an uncountable number of people have died, and tragedies have occurred. The wind, however, has not blown in the direction many leaders, including Vladimir Putin, initially believed.
It was thought that Russia would conquer Ukraine in no more than a month, yet the Ukrainian people have held out for well over a year, battering Putin’s forces. Ukraine’s surprising resilience is not only thanks to strong spirit, but also technology gifted to them by their allies, some of which are AI-driven.
So, as the Ukrainian army prepares for its long-awaited counter-offensive, let’s explore how artificial intelligence has shaped the war.
Preparing For a Counter-Offensive
Details of the coming counter-offensive are unclear, kept intentionally vague by Ukraine’s deputy defense minister Volodymyr Havrylov.
In an interview with The Independent, Harvrylov said:
“We will launch our counter-offensive – when and where it doesn’t matter now,”
He continued:
“Russia will be in panic; you will see a lot of panic. They still don’t understand that [their] propaganda is demonstrating a false picture of what is actually happening on the ground. This war will be won on the ground, not on the TV screens, not on the internet.”
Havrylov is referring to the Russian military's casualty count, which Putin claims does not align with American estimates of 20,000 deaths and 80,000 injured in five months.
The Ukrainian defense deputy, on the other hand, says Russia has endured 200,000 casualties since the start of the invasion, and believes the true scale of Russian losses will be revealed when Ukraine recovers territory.
Technology Used In Russo-Ukraine War
While Ukraine has relied on weapons and military aid sent from its allies–America being the largest donor at $46.6 billion, followed by the UK at $5.1 billion–Russia has turned to alternative weapons in lieu of international support.
Cyberattacks: Even before the invasion began, Russia used cyberattacks against Ukrainian networks, sending distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that wiped out internet connections, along with Trojan horse malware to cripple computer systems. However, the Russian cyberattacks were resisted by tech companies like Microsoft and Ukraine’s anonymous hacker group.
Social Media: Social media has been used to spread Russian propaganda and anti-Ukranian sentiment worldwide. In areas of Russian occupation, their control of internet services has also meant that Ukrainians have access to restricted online information, making people more susceptible to online propaganda. Ukraine has also used social media to determine the location of Russian soldiers.
Ukraine, too, has received help from advanced technology systems.
Starlink Satellites: Soon after the invasion began, Elon Musk redirected 5,000 Starlink satellites to Ukraine for free use, keeping the country connected online. Not only did this provide Ukrainians with unrestricted internet access, it also helped Ukraine’s military coordinate their defenses. However, Musk has warned that his satellite system cannot be used indefinitely due to the $20 million monthly loss it’s cost his company.
Telecoms: The emergency response telecoms system TSF has been deployed in Ukraine to allow displaced individuals to contact loved ones. It’s also been used to aid the refugee effort in neighboring countries.
Artificial Intelligence: From pilotless drone strikes to facial recognition technology being used to identify Russian personnel, the Ukrainian forces have leveraged the power of AI to their advantage, piquing the interest of global political leaders.
The Role of Artificial Intelligence In the Ukraine War
It’s no secret that machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) have been used in military operations for many years, with unmanned air strikes, thermal imaging technology, and targeted missiles.
While this technology is utilized in the Russo-Ukrainian war, too, AI is also being used without direct integration with weaponry.
Here’s how:
Real-Time Translations: Ukrainian AI company, Primer, updated its commercial AI-driven transcription and translation service so that it can process intercepted Russian messages and flag important information regarding the Ukrainian army.
Facial Recognition: Advanced AI-powered imaging and facial recognition software from Clearview AI have been utilized by Ukraine to identify deceased Russian personnel through their social media profiles. Not only does this provide information on Russian casualties, it also allows Ukrainian forces to notify the deceased individuals' families of their deaths.
Geospatial Intelligence: Geospatial intelligence is the most commonly used form of AI by Ukrainian forces. They use AI to analyze satellite images and open-source data to gain a strategic advantage over the Russian forces, preempting their location and movements.
Are We Headed For a New Type of War Shaped By AI?
AI has been so instrumental to Ukraine’s war efforts that it’s prompted interest from world leaders and experts. In fact, Alex Karp, CEO of the software company Palantir, suggested that Russia is at a "massive disadvantage" due to Ukraine’s use of artificial intelligence.
Ukraine’s strategic use of AI has ultimately helped shift ethical concerns around AI’s place in warfare to a question of implementation and regulation, with many experts agreeing that AI will play a significant role in future wars.
At the 2022 AI summit in London, NATO’s head of data and AI, Dr. Nikos Loutas, stated:
“We are really convinced that ongoing and future conflicts may be won, lost, or heavily impacted by AI speed, AI efficacy, and who is actually using AI in the battlefield.”
With new AI technology being developed and refined each day, along with the progression of the Ukraine war, it seems that we are, indeed, headed for a new type of war shaped by AI.
How do you think AI will change the face of war?
Should AI Development Be Paused?
There have been many concerns as to the future development of artificial intelligence and whether or not it should continue. For example, Elon Musk and several high-profile tech leaders signed an open letter urging AI labs to pause development due to the “profound risk” it poses to society.
The risks that concern these tech leaders include AI becoming uncontrollable, too much room for managerial oversight and human error, and lack of sufficient regulation. Not to mention the military application of AI, which is set to change the face of warfare. However, Elon Musk has since begun funding a Twitter AI project, diminishing the validity of his objectives for AI development.
One tech leader that takes a different view on pausing AI development is Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. In a recent interview with ABC News, Gates said:
“If you just pause the good guys and you don’t pause everyone else, you’re probably hurting yourself. You definitely want the good guys to have strong AI.”
In other words, Gates believes that AI is the new nuclear deterrent. If we stop developing AI and our global competitors push ahead of us, we risk the market, regulation standards, and ethics being determined by outside forces. As a result, AI development should continue and is, in fact, a necessity.
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