{"id":475756,"date":"2026-06-13T19:15:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T19:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/475756\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T19:15:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T19:15:17","slug":"ukraine-used-ten-ai-controlled-terminator-drones-to-kill-russian-soldiers-two-years-ago-marking-first-autonomous-killings-of-humans-autonomous-killer-quadcopters-left","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/475756\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine used ten AI-controlled \u2018Terminator\u2019 drones to kill Russian soldiers two years ago, marking first autonomous killings of humans \u2014 autonomous killer quadcopters left \u2018everything dead\u2019 says senior Ukrainian defense industry figure"},"content":{"rendered":"

A watershed moment occurred on the battlefields of Ukraine in 2024 that we are only just hearing about today: the use of fully autonomous drones to kill humans. Ten fully autonomous quadcopter drones <\/a>were sent to the front line by Ukraine with their AI-controlled \u2018Terminator Mode\u2019 engaged. \u201cWe just launch it and we know everything will be dead,\u201d a drone maker, Alexander Kokhanovskyy, told New Scientist<\/a> at a press event hosted by the Ukrainian embassy. Human-piloted drones were later sent to recce the target area, and the machine-slain victims were concluded to include \u201ca couple of soldiers, one truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New Scientist interview provides the most compelling evidence yet that humans have been killed at the sole discretion of an AI. This wasn\u2019t an accident of any kind, or an AI gone rogue<\/a>; the 10 drones were sent to the front line purposely switched to an autonomous mode to search for and intercept targets. Significantly, \u201cThere is no connection to the drone at all, you cannot see the video, nothing\u2026 Everything it sees will be killed,\u201d explained Kokhanovskyy.<\/p>\n

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So, human decision-making and judgment were removed for what is being characterized in the source report as a one-off test mission. That we are only hearing about it two years after the fact perhaps reflects on the gravity of engaging the Terminator Mode of the drones for (perhaps) the first time in an actual battle.<\/p>\n

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\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 Ukraine is training AI to hunt enemy drones, using data from actual combat.100+ companies now access real battlefield footage via @BRAVE1ua Dataroom: thermal & visual feeds of aerial targets, multiple sensors, day\/night, all weather \u2014 scenarios as close to real combat as it\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/hmX8KVuYf2June 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

A Rubicon moment for modern warfare?<\/p>\n

As the source notes, there is no official ban on using autonomous weapons that can kill without human intervention. However, last year the United Nations Secretary-General, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, called for this red line to be drawn. The argument is that removing human judgment from warfare risks human rights. Moreover, at this stage of the development of this technology, AI-driven systems are frequently in the news for the mistakes<\/a> they make.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Ukraine actually has a ban on fully autonomous final-stage targeting of humans by its drones. Other officials at the press conference where Kokhanovskyy spoke indicated that government decision-makers were in talks with defense companies about flexing the rules. However, it is likely not the first\/only country to have crossed the Rubicon and allowed AI drones<\/a> to inflict casualties on enemy soldiers.<\/p>\n

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Academics speaking to the New Scientist offered some interesting angles on the news of Terminator Mode-engaged drones being let loose on the battlefield. One described the news as horrendous and a theft of human dignity. Another concluded that the 2024 AI-drone attack near the cities of Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar must have demonstrated that it is better to keep humans in the loop for military effectiveness.<\/p>\n

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