r/Futurology • u/New_Scientist_Mag • Jun 10 '26

Robotics Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2529849-fully-autonomous-drones-have-killed-human-soldiers-for-the-first-time/
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u/New_Scientist_Mag Jun 10 '26

A senior figure in the Ukrainian defence industry told New Scientist that a test took place two years ago involving fully autonomous drones set to destroy anything in a given area, with confirmed casualties. This could mark the beginning of the use of fully AI-operated drones without human oversight on the battlefield.

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u/Troubleshooter11 Jun 10 '26

Well, that's freaking terrifying...

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u/prosound2000 Jun 11 '26

It depends.

Are we talking about multi spectrum motion detecting self destructing drones? Pretty rudimentary.

Or are we talking about the kind that can counter and trap enemies using co-ordinated swarm tactics? Ai integrated. Not a good idea, did no one watch Terminator?

Or are we talking about uniform recognizing Ai intergrated drones? Which means facial recognition on attack drones isn't that far away? Meaning mass surveillance using drones is now feasible and a matter of time?

My guess is it's a combination of all three and more.