Real swarms have no leader; each drone decides independently.
Some companies have drones flying in formation or following a leader, self-healing formations that rearrange when members are shut down. I consider that choreography, not actual swarming. True swarming means every single member of the group knows everything about all the other members and makes its own independent decisions. There is no leader, no single point of failure. They all know the objectives and negotiate among themselves who does what to achieve it. It is a swarm where they are all equal partners, just with different capabilities.
— AI on the Front Lines, with Alexander Fink · The Keynote on AI