AI and drone warfare: insights from the Paris Air Show

At this year's Paris Air Show, a panel at the Strategic Aerospace Seminar (SAS#3) brought together defence and technology experts to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping the character of warfare. The discussion featured Anne-Pascale Guedon of Destinus, Pierre-Henri "ATE" Chuet of D.Brief, and EOS' Dr Andreas Schwer, and was moderated by Elvie Lahournere of Kearney.

AI’s role in drone warfare took centre stage. Drones, the panel agreed, are changing the rules. Unlike traditional military platforms, they don’t rely on years of pilot training or certification. They can be built quickly, deployed at scale, and used more aggressively because they are expendable. One speaker noted that this shift is already influencing how force is applied in conflict.

But the conversation didn’t stop at speed or scale. The panellists turned to how drones are being pushed into new roles, including reconnaissance behind enemy lines. Their autonomy and low cost are making missions possible that would once have been too risky or resource-intensive.

As the potential grows, so do the questions. The panel raised concerns about the ethics of autonomous decision-making and the risks of biased AI training data—especially in high-intensity conflict where split-second classification decisions matter. There was broad agreement that intelligence is now more central than ever, and several speakers pointed to the value of a unified European database to support AI-enabled systems, ideally built on sovereign infrastructure.

One idea raised during the discussion was the possibility that drone swarms, enabled by AI, could act as a future form of strategic deterrence. The suggestion highlighted how quickly autonomous technologies are evolving and how disruptive their role may become in future conflict.

Dr Schwer expanded on these themes in a short video recorded at the event:

“The war in Ukraine has changed the nature of conflict. It is now defined by small, semi-commercial drones deployed in large numbers and swarms. They’re hard to defeat, and traditional defences are struggling to keep up.”

“What we’re seeing now is a shift. Jamming is no longer enough. You have to shoot drones down, with cannons, with missiles, or with high energy lasers.”

“We’re combining multiple effectors into layered defence systems so we can defeat drones across different threat types and ranges.”

Watch the full video below.

Thank you to Premier Cercle and Patrice Cros for organising the event.