Finland plans mass production of AI drones for military use

Finnish defence technology company Patria plans to launch mass production of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered drones in cooperation with startup Nest AI for European armed forces, Patria CEO Panu Routila said.

According Helsingin Sanomat, cited by Report, under the plan, Patria will be responsible for manufacturing the drones, while Nest AI will develop the software and integrate AI into command and control systems.

"There is a need to develop such systems in Europe for European armies. In addition to heavy armoured vehicles, Patria also aims to become a leader in unmanned systems," Routila said.

Nest AI founder Peter Sarlin noted that Europe still lacks its own equivalent of Palantir Technologies, a US company developing data analytics and AI systems for military and intelligence use. He said the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the need for systems capable of learning directly on the battlefield.

"Ukraine has shown that modern warfare requires AI-powered unmanned systems capable of learning on the battlefield, rather than remaining static after deployment," Sarlin emphasized.