Artificial intelligence has gone beyond being just a tool for developing industries or accelerating digital transformation, to become a pivotal element in countries’ military calculations. From analyzing intelligence information and identifying targets, to monitoring battlefields, coordinating unmanned systems, and supporting operational decisions.
As the use of these technologies in armed conflicts expands, the United States, China, Israel, Russia, and Ukraine top the list of countries developing military artificial intelligence capabilities or employing them in the field. In the same context, other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, South Korea, the Netherlands, and Azerbaijan, are seeking to integrate these technologies into plans to modernize their armed forces. However, specialized research indicates that this expansion is not always accompanied by complete transparency that reveals the extent of the actual dependence on these systems or the extent of their direct influence on the outcomes of battles.
United States: Artificial intelligence is at the heart of military operations
The United States is one of the most prominent countries investing in military artificial intelligence, through partnerships that bring together the Department of War with technology companies to develop systems that analyze data, integrate intelligence information, and accelerate planning and decision-making processes.
The Maven Smart System, linked to Palantir, emerged during the US-Israeli war with Iran that began on February 28, 2026. According to an analysis published by Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in June, the US military used the system as part of a broad strike campaign, with the extent to which artificial intelligence contributed to the selection of individual targets remains uncertain.
The importance of these systems lies in their ability to process huge flows of information and provide recommendations to military planners in record times. However, this does not necessarily mean that the machine makes the final decision to use force independently, as the matter remains dependent on the design of the system, the method of its operation, and the human controls surrounding it.
Israel: Systems for analyzing information and setting targets
The reliance on artificial intelligence appeared clearly in Israeli military operations, especially during the war in Gaza, where press reports and investigations revealed the use of digital platforms that analyze information, identify potential targets, and prioritize them.
These reports highlighted the “Lavender” and “The Gospel” systems, which were used to process data and generate recommendations targeting people or facilities. On the other hand, human rights organizations have documented the dangers of digital tools relying on inaccurate data or automated estimates in combat environments that affect the lives of civilians.
The main problem is the extent to which the armed forces rely on the recommendations of these systems, the nature of their review, and whether the human element has sufficient time and data to verify their outputs before making a decisive decision.
Russia and Ukraine: a technical race in the drone war
The Russian-Ukrainian war has turned into a field laboratory for developing technologies that combine drones and artificial intelligence. In light of electronic interference and the disruption of communications in combat zones, both sides have become increasingly dependent on systems capable of analyzing images, identifying objects, and assisting in complex environmental navigation.
Ukraine is expanding the use of these technologies with support from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute to compensate for the shortfall in its conventional capabilities. In return, Russia is developing unmanned systems, target recognition and weapons guidance technologies, as well as enhancing electronic warfare capabilities. Although both parties seek to integrate artificial intelligence into targeting operations, the details of the actual independence of these systems remain not always subject to independent verification.
The impact of these technologies is not only limited to the speed of operations, but also raises serious questions about the reliability of automatic discrimination between military targets and civilians, and the continuity of effective human oversight amid the rapid pace of combat.
China: Aspiration for military and technological leadership
China considers artificial intelligence a fundamental pillar for modernizing its armed forces, and is working to integrate it into command and control systems, information analysis, and unmanned systems, in addition to simulation and planning programs.
According to reports from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Beijing has set a goal to accelerate the shift towards “smart armed forces” by employing big data and advanced technologies in joint operations, competing with the United States to determine the future balance of power. However, there is a huge gap between having advanced research and development programs and proving their field effectiveness in real wars, given the limited public information about the extent of Chinese capabilities and their level of independence.
Other countries are catching up in the technological race
This trend extends to other global and regional capitals that are developing their defense capabilities and integrating artificial intelligence into them. The United Kingdom is modernizing its command, control, and data analysis capabilities, France is integrating artificial intelligence into its defense plans with a focus on responsible use controls, while South Korea is developing unmanned surveillance and defense systems.
At the field level, the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war demonstrated the effectiveness of loitering munitions and advanced unmanned systems in neutralizing Armenian defenses. As for the Netherlands, artificial intelligence software supported Ukrainian air defense systems and drones, where, in October 2026, according to Reuters, a Dutch company developed a system for coordinating radars, sensors, and image recognition to confront drones within projects to support Ukrainian defenses.
Prospects and fears of modern wars
From the United States and China to Israel, Russia and Ukraine, artificial intelligence has become an essential component of the radical transformation of modern warfare. International competition is not limited to the possession of technology only, but also extends to the extent of the efficiency of its integration into operations, the reliability of its systems, and ensuring human oversight over it.
In this sense, the outstanding question is no longer related to the identity of the country that possesses the most advanced artificial intelligence, but rather how to employ it, determine responsibility when automated errors occur, and impose guarantees that prevent technological speed from posing an additional danger to civilians. The most prominent challenge in future conflicts lies in ensuring that the speed of a machine’s decision does not overshadow its accuracy, and that human responsibility does not dissipate as systems become more intelligent and independent.
