In a joint statement released last Wednesday.OpenAI with defense technology startups Anduril Industries jointly announced that they will establish a strategic partnership to develop and responsibly deploy advanced for national security missionsAI(AI) solutions.
A Border Patrol agent walks past a surveillance tower made in Anduril, New Mexico, in 2022. (Salwan Georges/Washington Post)
This marks the first time OpenAI has partnered with a commercial weapons manufacturer.Anduril announced in November last year a $200 million (IT House note: currently around Rs. 1,455 million) contract to supply the company's anti-drone systems to the U.S. Marine Corps, in what is the company's deepest collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense to date.
The collaboration will focus on improving U.S. counter-unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS) and their ability to detect, assess, and respond to potentially lethal airborne threats in real time, the companies said.Anduril and OpenAI will explore ways to leverage cutting-edge artificial intelligence models to rapidly synthesize time-sensitive data, reduce the burden on human operators, and improve situational awareness. These models will be trained on Anduril's industry-leading CUAS threat and operations database to help protect U.S. and allied military personnel and ensure mission success.
According to the Washington Post, some OpenAI employees have raised ethical concerns about the AI technology they developed being used for military purposes. In an internal company discussion forum, theEmployees opposed the deal and demanded more transparency from leadership.
