# Ukraine adopts battlefield technology faster because the stakes are existential

Markdown copy of https://realalpha.app/s/ukraine-adopts-battlefield-technology-faster-because-the/ on Real Alpha, the best minutes from long interviews with the people building AI. Cite and link the page, not this copy.

- Speaker: [Byron Boots](https://realalpha.app/people/byron-boots/) · Byron Boots is cofounder and CEO of Overland AI; professor at the University of Washington.
- Host: [Shawn Ryan](https://realalpha.app/people/shawn-ryan/) · Host, The Shawn Ryan Show
- Show: The Shawn Ryan Show
- Episode: [Byron Boots - 5 People Could Control an Army of 500 Autonomous Vehicles | SRS #336](https://realalpha.app/v/_gGLTmJJjGA/), Sep 3, 2026
- Moment: 2:05:01 to 2:07:43 of the episode (3 min), playing on https://realalpha.app/s/ukraine-adopts-battlefield-technology-faster-because-the/; the episode from there: https://realalpha.app/v/_gGLTmJJjGA/?t=7501

## Quote

> “It's existential for them. They have to do this or they will lose, right? Like, and so they will **do whatever it takes** to win here.”
> — [Byron Boots](https://realalpha.app/people/byron-boots/) at [2:05:45](https://realalpha.app/v/_gGLTmJJjGA/?t=7545) · The Shawn Ryan Show

## Takeaways

1. Ukraine's existential pressure speeds adoption.
2. The U.S. has more time to build and transform its forces.
3. Boots says the U.S. could still move faster.

## About this segment

Byron Boots says Ukraine adopts technology quickly because defeat is existential, while the U.S. has more time but less urgency. He sees that pressure as a key reason adoption lags.

From “Byron Boots - 5 People Could Control an Army of 500 Autonomous Vehicles | SRS #336”, Sep 3, 2026. [Watch the full episode](https://realalpha.app/v/_gGLTmJJjGA/)

## Transcript

Transcribed by machine (Whisper) from the episode’s audio, so a word may be off here and there.

[2:05:05](https://realalpha.app/v/_gGLTmJJjGA/?t=7505) there's kind of uh like we have all this we have all this talent like there's things to be concerned about and i think there's there's things to be hopeful about so like on the one hand um you know you're i think you're right i think countries like ukraine i mean they're adopting tech as fast as they possibly can there's just a statistic i was saying something like there's been 2 million casualties in that conflict, right?

[2:05:31](https://realalpha.app/v/_gGLTmJJjGA/?t=7531) And about a million and a half Russian and about half a million Ukrainian. And one of the ways that Ukraine has been able to continue to fight and hold off the Russians is through, you know, all of this technological innovation. It's existential for them. They have to do this or they will lose, right? Like, and so they will do whatever it takes to win here. It's not existential for the U.S. yet. And I think that means that adoption is just slow.

[2:06:10](https://realalpha.app/v/_gGLTmJJjGA/?t=7570) Like, people aren't feeling the pressure to do it. And I think that, you know, it's unfortunate, of course, because we have a little bit of luxury right now. Like, we are not in a conflict like the Ukrainians. So we have the space to be able to potentially build this technology and transform our forces. But we don't have the urgency, right? And so I think that's part of the problem. On the positive side, I do think that we have the best minds in the world here.

[2:06:49](https://realalpha.app/v/_gGLTmJJjGA/?t=7609) I think we can do it. But it's, again, it's a matter of... We are doing it. We are doing it. It's a government that's not fucking keeping up with you guys. But it could be done faster, right? Like, we could accelerate this. And, you know, that's a fight that we just have to continue to make, right? To continue to fight to get this tech into the government faster. And I think going back to, you know, thinking about some of the DARPA stuff earlier, Like, we're creating incredible new technology, but then you've really got to fight to, like, actually get the Army and Marine Corps and services to actually, you know, try it, iterate, you know, ultimately use it and incorporate it.

[2:07:37](https://realalpha.app/v/_gGLTmJJjGA/?t=7657) Yeah. Yeah. If we were attacked tomorrow, do you think we could survive a sea or ground invasion?