Will development of good AI routines be beneficial for developing an UAV?

[Skarphol]

OK, I'm thinking of UAV's that travel autonomiously 'on their own'. They are getting an assigned area to monitor and then they just go there and survey that area, regardless of weather etc. Not necessarily military activity, but monitoring of pollution etc.
I think there are planes that actually flies themselves.
But of course, there are a lot of UAV, like Predator etc. that are 'flown' by personell on the ground. Not by joystick, but they are given orders as to where to go, where to direct their cameras etc.

Skarphol