Everything You Need To Know About AI Drone Swarms (VIDEO)

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Nothing says futuristic dystopia quite like a swarm of killer military drones making decisions over matters of human life and death. But true drone swarms — where multiple platforms communicate and collaborate to achieve a shared objective — have already been used to attack.

Several countries are developing robotic and autonomous systems for military purposes, and one already has real operational experience.

Israel uses a system called Legion-X, described as an "autonomous networked combat solution."

An operation involving a swarm of drones using artificial intelligence can be overseen by a single soldier directly from the Legion-X tablet interface. A range of combat drones in the air and on the ground can communicate with each other and share information in real time. Working via remote control or fully autonomously, the system can adapt to different environments and even enter buildings to map their insides as it advances.

The U.S. military is working on its own drone swarm technology that rivals any of Hollywood's nightmare scenarios. DARPA, the U.S. Department of Defense's research and development team, has been working on combat drone swarms for years and has already conducted multiple field experiments.

But recently released documents show the U.S. Navy is closer than ever with its aptly named Project Super Swarm. Flocks of AI-driven autonomous drones are being designed to overwhelm enemy air defenses and conduct self-exploding airstrikes.

They could be launched from larger aircraft or submarines and could conduct all kinds of different missions. In the very near future, navy drone swarms might be used as a first line of attack, gaining an advantage on the battlefield long before putting human assets in harm's way.

And you can bet that rivals like China and Russia aren't wasting any time developing similar capabilities of their own. A future where militaries around the world have access to devastating drone swarms is less a question of if than of when.

Unlike other aspects of war, however, there are no legally binding rules to regulate lethal autonomous weapons.

Can world powers agree to ban so-called "slaughter bots" designed to kill humans? Can the international community agree that all systems always be subject to human oversight and control? And can the world keep weapons like these out of the hands of terror groups and other non-state actors?

Organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross are lobbying governments to prevent these terrifying scenarios from ever taking place.

So far, to no avail.

One thing is certain: The rapid advancement of drone swarm technology is transforming the urban battlefield, with major implications.

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