Former Google CEO pressing for AI-powered 'kamikaze' drones in Ukraine

Ukraine will need at least 2 million drones in 2024. Drones with AI capabilities that could be used in combat in Ukraine are the latest idea of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, according to The Messenger Business.

A Forbes article claims that White Stork, a firm that Schmidt established, will mass manufacture inexpensive, maybe one-time 'kamikaze' drones that employ AI for visual targeting and can function even when GPS jamming prevents them from communicating. There's also a limited amount of explosives carried by these drones.

Using a number of LLCs, the project, named after the national bird of Ukraine, filed firm incorporation documents in August. Hardly any information is available, however Forbes claims that one worker might be Sebastian Thrun, a co-founder of Google's moonshot lab.

Ever since he filed the White Stork paperwork, Schmidt has been advocating for the deployment of additional drones in the Ukraine conflict. Schmidt contends in a July Wall Street Journal op-ed that soldiers can fly drones fast enough to be nearly difficult to shoot down after only a few months of training. That being said, each drone only costs about USD 400, even if they are shot down or explode.

Schmidt penned a second opinion piece for Foreign Affairs on Monday titled "Ukraine is Losing the Drone War." He makes the case that investing in developing and scaling technologies that can counter Russia’s formidable new drones is necessary for Ukraine and its allies.

In addition, he estimates that by 2024, Ukraine would require at least 2 million drones, of which only half will be made there. Neither opinion piece included White Stork.