Four years of war, millions of hours of drone footage: Ukraine shares data for AI training

Ukraine plans to systematically share combat data collected during its war with Russia for training AI models.

New Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced the initiative, according to Reuters. "We will build a system on which they can train their software products using our data," Fedorov said.

Fedorov took over as Defense Minister just last week. He previously served as Minister of Digital Transformation and brings significant technical expertise to the role. In his new position, he aims to drive reforms across Ukraine's defense ministry and armed forces.

Millions of hours of drone footage could reshape military AI

Since Russia's invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has amassed extensive battlefield information. This includes systematically logged combat statistics and, most notably, millions of hours of drone footage captured from above. Nearly four years of war experience have been documented.

This kind of data is extremely valuable for training AI models. These systems need large volumes of real-world information to identify patterns and predict how people or objects might behave in various situations. Real combat data on this scale is rare - most nations simply don't have comparable material from a modern conflict of this intensity and duration.

"Today, frontline data has extraordinary value," Fedorov said. Allies are already expressing interest in the material.

Ukraine turns battlefield experience into bargaining power

Fedorov describes Ukraine's data trove as one of its "cards" in negotiations with other nations. The phrasing suggests Ukraine intends to strategically deploy its unique war experience as negotiating leverage. While the country is outmatched in personnel and materiel, it possesses something Western allies cannot obtain themselves: real combat data from a high-intensity conflict involving modern technology.

The minister said he wanted to "more actively" integrate allies into Ukrainian projects. The data sharing could be part of a broader strategy to solidify and expand international support for Ukraine.

His team is already receiving advice from U.S. think tanks such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies and RAND, as well as from Britain's Royal United Services Institute. Fedorov also said Ukraine was already using AI technology from U.S. data analytics firm Palantir for both military and civilian applications.