The AI war has reached a point of no return. What's next?

The United States is stepping into an artificial intelligence arms race, marked by new presidential decrees and escalating disputes with AI companies such as Anthropic. This technological competition is unfolding on a global stage, with international communities struggling to establish control.

In the realm of warfare, AI's role has evolved dramatically. Advanced algorithms have transitioned swiftly from secondary functions like assistance and information analysis to becoming active agents of destruction. "The battles of the future will be largely robotic. Everything will be automated and controlled by the laws of war," stated Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google and an investor in military drone companies.

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Either our robots will kill us in 50 years, or the Russians will kill us in a year.

While Schmidt's prediction of robotized warfare garners little controversy, significant uncertainty surrounds whether international regulations, established in the last century, can adequately address the realities of future conflict. AI officially entered combat in 2017 when a team led by retired Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan used it to identify ISIS insurgents attacking U.S. forces in Iraq. This project, known as Project Maven, demonstrated the potential of algorithms to rapidly scan reconnaissance imagery.

Today, AI's military applications have exploded across multiple fronts. In Ukraine, drone manufacturers have accelerated the development of autonomous guidance systems capable of targeting without direct human intervention. Israel's military employs AI systems to analyze vast amounts of field data, while the U.S., China, and Russia have integrated advanced algorithms into their command networks to streamline decision-making. Experts caution that the next phase will involve "drone swarms" capable of autonomous hunting and striking over long distances, without human involvement, challenging the ethical concept of "man in the loop" validation for lethal decisions.

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The battles of the future will be largely robotic. Everything will be automated and controlled by the laws of war.