January 5, 2026
Skynet meets Silicon Valley
The Dawn of the AI Drone
From 'Don't be evil' to self‑hunting bots — old news or new nightmare
TLDR: Ukrainian drones now chase targets using AI after lock-on, with Eric Schmidt’s venture in the mix. Comments clash: some say it’s just old guided‑missile tech, others fear automated kill chains and Big Tech’s moral slide from “Don’t be evil” to arms dealing.
Ukraine’s battlefield just birthed a new kind of terror: drones that, once locked on, use A.I. to chase targets without a pilot. The star of the thread isn’t the hardware — it’s the whiplash in the comments. One camp shrugs: “Missiles have guided themselves for decades, nothing to see here,” linking the NYT gift piece and calling the milestone arbitrary. Another camp is in full alarm mode, predicting kill chains where spy drones spot humans and killer drones auto‑dispatch with zero hesitation.
Enter the drama magnet: Eric Schmidt — Google’s former CEO — backing the Bumblebee drone used after jamming beat older kamikaze models. The quote that lit the fuse: “I’m a licensed arms dealer.” Commenters roasted the 2000s “Don’t be evil” slogan like a vintage meme, asking if Big Tech’s moral compass now points straight to the arms bazaar. Skeptics warn these are “flying mines” with shaky friend‑or‑foe smarts, easily fooled by decoys and most dangerous to civilians. The jokes got dark fast: one user quipped we’ll have more A.I. slaves than A.I. soldiers. Between cynics calling it old hat and doomers seeing Skynet’s baby steps, the vibe is equal parts tech fatigue and ethical panic — with a dash of meme‑flavored dread.
Key Points
- •New Ukrainian drones use onboard A.I. to pursue and strike targets after lock-on without further human control.
- •A mission near Borysivka targeted an enemy drone team operating from abandoned warehouses.
- •Previous attacks with standard kamikaze quadcopters failed due to Russian radio-wave jamming.
- •The third attempt used a Bumblebee drone provided by a venture led by Eric Schmidt.
- •The battlefield is serving as the proving ground for A.I.-enabled autonomous weapons in Ukraine.