When we talked about drones in business at the beginning of our series, we focused primarily on How to do business with a drone today and what conditions must be met when operating it.

But the world of drones is changing rapidly.

Technologies such as autonomous flying or U-space, which seemed like a distant future just a few years ago, are now being tested in real-world operations. And new possibilities for using drones are gradually bringing new legal issues.

So where are the drones headed?

Drone as a service, not as a device

One of the most interesting changes may not be the design of the drone itself, but the way we use it. Today, a company can order, for example, a one-time aerial survey of a building or a roof inspection.

But in the future, it may be more common to order regular service, in which a drone checks the condition of a building, power line or industrial site every week, for example. The drone arrives on its own, performs the given activity and then flies away again.

The drone will then become just a means to an end. The customer will not be interested in how many minutes the drone flew, but for example whether the defect was discovered in time or whether he received the required data in the required quality.

This may also change the way contracts between drone operators and their customers are set up.

Drone as a flying sensor

Further development will likely focus on what the drone can detect during flight.

Camera systems are now complemented by thermal cameras, multispectral sensors, and LiDAR. Drones can thus obtain information that a person from the ground would not be able to effectively detect.

In the energy sector, it can search for overheating parts of equipment, in the construction industry it can help with the inspection of structures, and in agriculture it can provide information on the condition of crops. The future therefore does not have to be about having more drones, but about getting much more information from each individual flight.

And this raises another question: Who will own and who will be able to use the data that the drone collects? The legal world will have to deal with all of this.

When artificial intelligence starts evaluating data

An even more significant change could be brought about by connecting drones to artificial intelligence. Today, for example, a drone takes thousands of photos and a person then reviews them. In the future, the system can itself evaluate which photos contain a problem, point out a change compared to the previous measurement, or identify a place that a person should pay attention to. This can significantly increase efficiency.

At the same time, however, a new problem arises: What if the algorithm makes a mistake? What if the algorithm doesn't follow the instructions? What if there is a data leak?

If the system misses a defect during a design check, it will no longer be so simple to say that the pilot alone is responsible. The operator, the equipment manufacturer, the software supplier, or the service provider itself may come into play.

Technological development will gradually open up questions that we only marginally address in connection with drones today.

Drones in logistics

Drones also have great potential in transportation. It's not just about delivering consumer goods. For example, drones are being tested around the world for the transport of medical supplies, medicines or laboratory samplesThe reason is simple: a drone can, in some cases, overcome ground traffic faster and regardless of the traffic situation.

If such services become widespread, drones could become part of the regular logistics chain. And legally, we will come to questions that go beyond the operation of the drone itself:

Who is responsible for the cargo being transported? What if the shipment is damaged? What if the drone does not reach its destination? And how is liability divided between the drone operator, the transport customer and other entities in the chain?

Drones and critical infrastructure

Another area where drone use can be expected to grow significantly is infrastructure inspection. Railways, power lines, bridges, pipelines or large industrial sites represent environments where regular monitoring using drones can be significantly more effective than traditional inspection.

At the same time, the more important infrastructure drones control, the more important the issues will be. the safety of the drones themselves and the data they collect.

A drone connected to corporate systems is not just a flying camera. It is also a potential entry point into the digital infrastructure. The future of drones will therefore increasingly be linked to cybersecurity.

What about transporting people?

A separate chapter is electric aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing, the so-called eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing).

While these are not always drones in the classic sense, this development shows how far vertical flight technology can go. Developers are working on using these machines for urban and regional transport, for example, or transporting people between airports and city centers.

If this technology really takes off, it won't just be a new means of transportation. It will also need to address infrastructure for take-offs and landings, integration into existing air traffic, responsibility for operations and of course passenger safety.

What does all this mean for the law?

Just a few years ago, most legal issues related to drones could be framed around a simple situation: man controls a drone.

The future will be more complex. A drone can be part of an automated system, collect large amounts of data, use artificial intelligence, transport cargo, or be connected to other technologies.

And this will also change the nature of legal problems.

We will not only address: "Is this drone allowed to fly in this location?"

We will ask even more often: Who is responsible for the outcome of the drone's operation? Who is responsible for the data? Who bears the risk of system failure? And who will be held accountable if the technology fails?

The future is not so far away anymore

Importantly, much of this development is no longer just a vision. New technologies are being tested, new operating models are emerging, and European regulation is gradually preparing for their wider use.

For entrepreneurs, this means one thing above all: Drones are no longer just technological devices. They are becoming part of broader business, data, and operational systems.

And that is why, as they continue to develop, not only will the way in which entrepreneurs use drones change, but also the way in which the law will have to think about them.

Because it is aviation law Our office's specialization is to constantly monitor the development of European and national legislation and inform you about the most important news. Follow us so that your business is always one step ahead of the competition.

JUDr. Ing. Jan Vych, attorney and partner