UK and Ukraine Sign Landmark AI Defence Pact
The United Kingdom and Ukraine have signed a historic bilateral agreement to jointly develop artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies for military and defence applications. Under the agreement, the UK has become the first international country to gain access to real military data collected from Ukraine’s battlefield.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a bilateral meeting in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
Battlefield Data and ‘Avengers Labs’
According to information published on the UK government’s website, the agreement will give British universities, researchers and technology companies access to the Ukrainian military’s specialised ‘Avengers AI Labs’.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, the platform has been built around a massive dataset containing approximately five million labelled battlefield images. A large portion of the data has been collected through Ukraine’s own ‘Delta’ combat system.
Thousands of digital and infrared cameras deployed on the battlefield regularly contribute images of various targets, including tanks, artillery, air-defence systems and drones, to the database.
Technological Development and Automated Target Recognition
A report by The Kyiv Independent said AI models developed using this data have already enabled Ukrainian forces to operate an automated target-recognition system. The system analyses more than 100,000 hours of drone video footage every month and can immediately identify approximately 70 percent of enemy positions and targets.
Under the new agreement, engineers from the two countries will work on a specialised project to transform optical-fibre cables into AI-powered sensors that can be used to protect military bases.
The two countries will also conduct joint research into developing energy-efficient AI chips capable of operating with low power consumption for drones and autonomous systems.
First Foreign Trip and Missile Production Facility
This was Andy Burnham’s first foreign visit since taking office as UK prime minister. During the trip, he also co-chaired a meeting of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’.
According to a Reuters report, as part of the visit, Britain authorised missile manufacturer MBDA, which produces the long-range ‘SCALP’ cruise missile, to provide Ukraine with classified information related to UK-made components of the missile.
The decision will enable Ukraine to establish its own production and assembly line for the missile on Ukrainian territory.
//DBTech/BMT/OR//
