France and Poland prioritise AI for military modernisation amidst global surge

The armed forces as an organization are, in a way, always in a state of transition. On one hand, they are inherently conservative; on the other, since the 19th century, generals have been seeking ways to gain a technological edge. Sometimes they succeed more effectively, sometimes less so. Occasionally, pioneers achieve at least short-lived dominance on the battlefield; other times, a premature debut may benefit the adversary. Currently, one of the most promising technologies is artificial intelligence (AI).

During the AI Action Summit organized in Paris on February 10-11, many interesting declarations were made. Notably, there was an announcement to reduce legal regulations to facilitate the development of AI in Europe (at the EU level as well).

France alone, according to its president Emmanuel Macron, plans to invest €109 (CAD 163) billion in AI in the coming years. This is an impressive sum, somewhat larger (in terms of GDP conversion) than the nearly $500 (CAD 710) billion President Donald Trump announced for the same purpose a few weeks earlier. The French intend to use these funds to design and build data centres that support AI development.

The French Armed Forces will also benefit from the revolution. Bertrand Rondepierre, Director of AI (AMIAD) at the Ministry of Armed Forces, declared in an interview with "Politico" that France must take comprehensive actions towards formulating AI algorithms and models, and their training. Their proprietary artificial intelligence algorithms will be essential for maintaining military sovereignty in the near future.

The AMIAD agency, established in May 2024, has an annual budget of $320 million and employs over 100 people. The scope of work is broad, encompassing AI for drones (and counter-drones) to language models for document processing and supporting military planners. In September 2025, the agency will receive its own supercomputer—the most powerful in Europe—though it will be provided by Hewlett-Packard in collaboration with Orange. Rondepierre emphasized that NVIDIA's effective monopoly on essential hardware for ensuring high computational power significantly complicates AI development because it is dependent on Washington's policies. However, Paris plans to increase its range of sovereignty, albeit mainly in the software domain.

Of course, France is not currently a leader in the development of artificial intelligence, as it does not produce its own chips. The USA and China are particularly more advanced, but more countries are working on their solutions including Germany, India, Israel, and South Korea. These efforts have a well-defined goal; they are not done just for the sake of it. So why do soldiers need AI?

Artificial intelligence in the military world has a range of applications at many levels. During the Paris summit, Rondepierre noted that AI is supposed to facilitate understanding of the battlefield situation, including operational and logistical dimensions. AI is responsible for analyzing data, classifying it according to significance, and forwarding it to officers responsible for utilizing it. This way, generals will have access to all data at once, but AI will ensure that the most critical data reaches them first, allowing for faster processing and decision-making.

AI could serve as a gatekeeper, deciding the order of messages. In the future, this function will likely expand, possibly in the direction of evaluating military plans based on available data. AI might also find uses in cryptography or cybersecurity.

On a more tactical level, AI is already available to soldiers. It is most renowned as an indispensable element in the world of drones. AI allows for effective target searching (e.g., by extracting target silhouettes from the background based on information from electro-optical sensors), planning flight paths, and more. It also offers a chance to overcome some electronic warfare measures that jam communication between drones and command centres. In such cases, AI allows the mission to continue or at least the drone to return to base.

In the future, more advanced versions of these algorithms could virtually pilot unmanned combat aircraft that support manned aircraft—they will be the "brains" of the so-called unmanned wingmen. This is not the only application of AI at the tactical level.

Even today, it is hard to imagine underwater warfare in the navy without AI. I've written in a series about the Orka program that modern submarines are extremely difficult to detect. Being very quiet, they can blend into ambient noise. Artificial intelligence allows the extraction of specific sounds, such as those generated by engine rooms, from that noise, enabling the detection of the large "predator".

In ground forces, AI is expected to assist crews in choosing optimal driving routes, and managing the vehicle (again: information classification), automating certain processes, and so on. For example, the Merkava Mk IV Barak was initially intended to communicate automatically with other similar vehicles so that tanks could mutually protect each other in case of a threat without crew involvement. The tank's AI was supposed to communicate with the crew in a female voice, which during tests was found to be more effective than a male voice, as crews ignored it less frequently. However, it is unclear how many solutions were ultimately implemented in the latest tank of the Israeli Defense Forces.

Poland spends relatively small amounts on the development of AI, and this is no different when it comes to military applications. It should be noted that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski has said that artificial intelligence should not be a subject of an arms race.

Despite such challenges, some progress has been made. Among the practical outcomes, drones are again the most evident examples, such as the Warmate family or FlyEye systems produced by the WB Group. Thanks to experience gained in their use in Ukraine, Polish company programmers can continually improve them, also in terms of AI reducing jamming effects or in drone and loitering munition guidance. The capabilities of the ZSSW-30 unmanned turret remain unclear—according to some reports, it also features AI algorithms supporting crews in combat.

The announcement of the creation of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Implementation offers hope for more serious outcomes, as announced by Major General Karol Molenda, commander of the Cyberspace Defence Forces. The new formation will be responsible for the development and implementation of AI solutions for military needs. According to the announcements, the Centre will work on solutions aligned with the trends mentioned above. Polish "AI in uniform" would thus support cyber defence, commanders in the planning process, and command, etc. The Ministry of National Defence's "AI Departmental Strategy until 2039," published in October 2024, defines the necessity of implementing AI into the Polish Armed Forces as the highest priority. Is it truly such a priority? This will be revealed by future budgets and the amount allocated for this purpose. For now, reasons for optimism remain rather limited.