Meta collaborates with an arms manufacturer to develop an AI-enabled gadget for military use.
Meta Partners with Defense Startup to Develop AI-Powered Devices for Soldiers
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has entered a partnership with Anduril, a defense technology startup, to develop advanced AI and augmented reality (AR) technologies for military personnel. The collaboration will see Meta combine its expertise in AR and AI with Anduril's defense-focused autonomous systems and command-and-control platform, Lattice.
The new devices, possibly in the form of glasses or visors, are intended to provide real-time battlefield intelligence to soldiers. According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the company is proud to work with Anduril in support of American soldiers, who safeguard their country's interests domestically and abroad.
Unlike virtual reality (VR), AR applications augment the real world with digital components, enhancing situational awareness and perception for users. Anduril's Lattice platform offers AI-supported command and control capabilities, delivering timely battlefield information for decision-making.
Its founder, Palmer Luckey, expressed his excitement about the partnership, highlighting the potential impact of such technologies on improving military operations. The joint collaboration is a step forward for Meta in its expansion into new business fields, leveraging its decade of AI and AR research and development.
The project is part of the U.S. Army's rebranded Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC) Next initiative, originally managed by Microsoft. With the Program's management shift to Anduril, Meta is joining forces with the startup to bid on the recompete of the mixed-reality heads-up display project. The collaboration is privately funded, relying on commercial hardware and software to reduce costs and streamline deployment timelines.
- This partnership between Meta and defense startup Anduril, rooted in the domain of technology and artificial-intelligence, aims to revise the community policy and employment policy of Meta, as the collaboration pursues the development of AI-powered devices for soldiers.
- As Meta and Anduril work together to create AR-powered devices for the military, they are ushering in a new chapter in their employment policy, which might also impact the industry and finance sectors, as they potentially expand into the defense industry and invest heavily in AR and AI research and development.
