Putin's hope for AI to increase information control, end Western tech dependence largely 'aspirational'

A Ukrainian strike destroyed a missile complex in Russian-occupied Crimea on Wednesday, August 23, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said. Russia has focused its efforts on establishing itself as a leader in research, development and fielding of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, with hopes to separate Russia from Western dependence – hopes that remain fairly distant based on current capabilities. "Intelligence analysis suggests that the Russian military has thus far not been able to operationalize the concept AI-enabled combat capabilities and shortening the kill chain and making the targeting more effective," Rebekah Koffler, president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, told Fox News Digital. "Their efforts remain largely aspirational," she added. "They've got big ideas articulated in military journals, but when it comes to practice, the Russians fall short of their goals."