drone thecipherbrief
Drone army and command system. Photo: thecipherbrief

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt called on the US military to scrap tanks he called “useless”.

Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Saudi Arabia on October 30, he predicted that cheap AI drones will soon make traditional forms of combat obsolete.

“There are a lot of tanks in the world. Those tanks are largely useless now. A $5,000 drone can destroy a $5,000,000 tank,” he added.

Mr. Schmidt has been a technology advisor to the US government and military for nearly a decade.

He became Chairman of the Defense Innovation Council in 2016 and is currently Chairman of the US National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.

He also works for White Stork, a startup that builds AI attack drones.

Speaking at Stanford University in April, he said White Stork's goal is to use AI "in complex, powerful ways."

According to Forbes, Schmidt is interested in "kamikaze drones," a term for unmanned systems that contain explosives that detonate when they hit a target.

“The cost of automation has fallen so rapidly that drone warfare will eventually eliminate tanks, artillery and mortars,” Schmidt said at FII.

He also expressed surprise at the innovations in drone technology during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. “If you look at drone tactics, it is changing every day,” he said.

Ukraine has also developed its own drone program, producing sophisticated systems for land, air and sea missions.

(According to Insider)