Ukrainian soldiers have revolutionised the way battles will be fought in the 21st century by waging an “algorithmic war” that enables Kyiv to outgun invading forces with far fewer troops.
Artificial intelligence developed by companies in the West has given Ukraine a technological edge over Russia, military experts said, turning the tide of the war.
Artillery continues to dominate the war in a way that would be familiar to generals fighting battles centuries ago. However, the accuracy, speed and deadliness of Ukrainian strikes has dramatically increased thanks to software developed by Palantir, a US tech firm co-founded by the Republican billionaire
Peter Thiel.
Those who have witnessed the AI in action have been left in no doubt about its revolutionary power. “The Russians are using their artillery like it’s the First World War. What the Ukrainians are doing is completely different,” one defence source said. “A digital army is fighting an analogue army. What you are seeing is that the digital army, despite being a fraction of the size, is able to massively outperform its analogue adversary.”
Palantir is closely linked to the CIA, which was an early investor, and it has opened an office in Kyiv. The firm played a key role for the Department of Health during the pandemic. Software called Foundry worked out where vaccines were running short and ministers relied on it to track uptake.
The company’s software in Ukraine, MetaConstellation, relies on intelligence gathered on enemy troop positions by commercial satellites, heat sensors and reconnaissance drones as well as spies working behind enemy lines and ordinary Ukrainians pinpointing the locations of Russian troops on the country’s E-Enemy app.
The software uses AI to transform the data into a map highlighting the probable locations of Russian artillery, tanks and troops. A Ukrainian soldier using a tablet device is given a list of co-ordinates and can then direct their fire. The technology also “learns” from previous strikes, meaning that it is constantly getting better at identifying and locating materiel.