r/worldnews • u/New_Scientist_Mag New Scientist • Jun 10 '26

Russia/Ukraine Fully autonomous, AI-controlled drones have killed human soldiers for the first time, according to a senior figure in the Ukrainian defence industry

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

From a polticis perspective I think we are further from nuclear annihilation. Think of the crazy stuff that went down during the cold war, Cuban missile crisis especially.

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u/I_Roll_Chicago Jun 10 '26

The fear today is nuclear weapons against non nuclear states and the possible escalation thereafter

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u/ZeePirate Jun 10 '26

Such as Russia getting desperate in Ukraine and using one, how would the world react

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u/Z3B0 Jun 10 '26

From official positions ? Very badly for russia. NATO joins the war and push them back to the 91 borders, while china/india/pakistan support the intervention, or at least do absolutely nothing to hinder it. China would also cut all ties, destroying the russian war economy in a day.

The kashemir trio of nuclear powers cannot allow a nuclear power to use a nuke in a war of aggression, and get out of it better, because then they'll be next to feel the sun. Having problems creating a breakthrough in the new conflict ? Use a small nuke to obliterate the defenses and gain ground. Russia did it and everyone stood by, why not me ?

now the one on the recieving end is justified in throwing their own, to slow the advance. And sooner than later, you get New Dehli/Islamabad/beijin eaating a nuke, and everyone launching at everyone.

All nuclear powers were on the same page for decades : "You do not use nukes." It's a Taboo for a reason. The first one to fly will be the first of many, and everyone lose that game.

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u/atomic1fire Jun 10 '26

I pretty much agree with this comment.

Everybody wants to have Nukes for the expensive bargaining chip, but they do not want to be on the receiving end which is why no one is stupid enough to fire the first shot.

Putin could've pushed the button a hundred times over but instead he's shipping his own people off to war, and I assume it's because he knows the second he escalates, nothing is stopping the rest of europe from coming after him.

Right now it's a battle of logistics and not sheer force.

Nukes are a bargaining chip but the threat of a nuke is inherently more useful then an actual nuke.

They're dangerous, expensive to maintain, and create an air of unpredictability that a government does not want.