At an event at the French Senate held under the patronage of Senator Jean Hingray alongside the AI Action Summit in Paris, David Petraeus spoke about Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the forefront of modern military strategy and how it is revolutionizing how conflicts are fought and redefining national security.
David Petraeus is a former General in the US Army who oversaw operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and is also the former Director of the CIA. Petraeus spoke on AI’s transformative impact on combat, from autonomous drones to AI-driven battlefield intelligence to integrating advanced technologies reshaping military operations.
David vs. Goliath 2.0 – The Rise of Algorithmic Warfare
When Russia launched its invasion, few expected Ukraine to hold its ground. But Ukraine had an ace up its sleeve: artificial intelligence. Like a digital David facing Goliath, Ukraine has turned to AI-powered systems to level the playing field.
Imagine autonomous drones prowling the Black Sea, forcing Russia’s mighty fleet to retreat eastward. Ukraine’s military isn’t just using AI –it’s creating something unprecedented: dedicated drone battalions that think for themselves. These autonomous units have already made history, conducting the first-ever fully unmanned military operations.
Remember the early days of the Iraq War? General Petraeus recalls the painstaking process of building cloud systems just to handle basic intelligence. Fast forward to today, and AI has transformed that clunky process into a seamless stream of battlefield awareness.
Ukraine’s AI systems don’t just see the battlefield – they understand it. In the split second between detecting a target and making a decision, these systems can distinguish between military assets and civilian structures, making warfare not just more effective, but potentially more humane.
Gone are the days when military decisions required hours of human deliberation. Today’s AI-powered weapons can identify, classify, and engage targets faster than any human operator. Ukraine’s suicide drones exemplify this shift – they’re hunting tanks and artillery positions with an efficiency that would have seemed impossible just years ago.
But don’t think humans are out of the loop entirely. Instead, we’re moving to what Petraeus calls a “human-on-the-loop” model. Think of it as setting the rules of engagement and letting AI execute within those boundaries – like a military version of autonomous vehicles, but with much higher stakes.
The Double-Edged Sword
The lessons from Ukraine aren’t lost on military planners in the Pacific. Admiral John Aquilino has a stark vision for the Taiwan Strait – turning it into an AI-powered “hellscape” for any would-be aggressor. Imagine swarms of underwater drones, aerial platforms, and cyber units working in perfect coordination, all driven by artificial intelligence.
But this AI revolution isn’t without its dangers. The same technology that makes warfare more precise also raises thorny ethical questions. What happens when algorithms make life-or-death decisions? And with nations like Russia and China racing to develop their own AI weapons, we’re entering uncharted territory in the age-old game of military competition.
The integration of AI into warfare isn’t some distant possibility – it’s happening now, reshaping conflicts in real time. Ukraine’s innovative use of AI has shown that even smaller nations can punch above their weight when they embrace these new technologies.
As Petraeus observes, the future belongs to those who can harness AI’s potential while navigating its ethical minefields. The question isn’t whether AI will transform warfare – that transformation is already well underway. The real question is how we’ll adapt to this new reality where algorithms increasingly determine the fate of nations.
In this brave new world of AI-powered warfare, one thing is certain: the military that best combines human judgment with artificial intelligence will have the advantage. As Ukraine has shown, that advantage can make the difference between victory and defeat.
About RAISE Summit:
RAISE Summit, held on July 8-9, 2025, at the Carrousel du Louvre, is the premier gathering for AI leaders, innovators, and decision-makers. Set in Paris, the European Capital of AI, the summit capitalizes on the city’s deep technological heritage and thriving innovation ecosystem to foster groundbreaking discussions and collaborations.
