CARLISLE, Pa.—CIA Director John Ratcliffe credited recent advancements in drone and artificial intelligence (AI) technology with helping to slow Russia’s military advance across the battlefields of Ukraine.
“The average life expectancy of a Russian recruit right now, arriving on the battlefield in Ukraine, is estimated to be between 20 and 30 minutes. And that’s because, you know, AI-powered drones have gotten to be such specialized, low-cost killing machines,” Ratcliffe told a gathering of arms and technology industry leaders at the first-ever Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit on July 15.
Ratcliffe said U.S. intelligence findings support that Russian life expectancy statistic, which has been included in other publicly available reporting. …