The rise of large language models (LLMs) and multimodal foundation models has already begun to reshape the character of warfare. For evidence, look no further than the battlefields of Russia’s war on Ukraine. During “Operation Spiderweb” in June, for example, Ukrainian quadcopters switched to autonomous navigation assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) to strike multiple Russian airfields. After standard GPS and communication links were disabled by Russian jammers, built-in sensors and pre-programmed decision-making meant that “backup AI targeting” took over. The strike, Ukraine’s longest-range assault of the conflict to date, resulted in the destruction of billions of dollars’ worth of Russian aircraft.
But automation and data-processing speed—image identification, logistics, and pattern detection—are only one part of the story. An arguably more significant transformation is underway, toward synthetic cognition within AI systems.
Authors :
. John James is a technologist, deep-tech investor, and founding partner of BOKA Capital Ltd, which has investments in military AI companies.
. Alia Brahimi, PhD, is a nonresident senior fellow on the Atlantic Council Middle East Programs.
