SpaceX to compete in contest for autonomous drone tech
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its wholly owned subsidiary xAI are competing in a secretive new Pentagon competition to produce voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarm technology, Bloomberg News reports.
SpaceX, xAI and the Pentagon’s defense innovation unit did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. Reuters could not independently verify the report.
Texas-based SpaceX recently acquired xAI in a deal combining Musk’s major space and defense contractor with the billionaire entrepreneur’s artificial intelligence startup. This comes ahead of SpaceX’s planned initial public offering this year.
Musk’s companies are reportedly among a select few selected to participate in the US$100 million ($141 million) prize competition, which launched in January, according to a Bloomberg report.
The report stated that the six-month competition aims to produce advanced swarm technology that can convert voice commands into digital instructions and operate multiple unmanned aerial vehicles.
Musk was among a group of artificial intelligence and robotics researchers who wrote an open letter in 2015 advocating for a global ban on “offensive autonomous weapons” and opposing building “new tools to kill people.”
The US Secretary of Defense last year outlined a new strategy to accelerate drone development and deployment, aiming to reduce bureaucracy and increase domestic drone production.
The US is also looking for safe and cost-effective ways to neutralize drones, especially around airports and major sporting events; It’s a concern that has become more urgent this northern summer ahead of the FIFA World Cup and America250 anniversary celebrations.
OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, Anthropic and xAI won contracts last year worth US$200 million ($283 million) each, aimed at increasing the adoption of advanced AI capabilities at the Pentagon.
