Meta collaborates with a weapons firm to develop an AI gadget for military use.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has partnered with defense startup Anduril to develop advanced AI-equipped devices for military use. The strategic collaboration aims to create extended reality (XR) devices, such as glasses, goggles, and visors, to enhance the situational awareness of soldiers on the battlefield.
The partnership leverages Meta's decade-long expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) technology. Anduril, on the other hand, brings its defense-focused autonomous systems and data analytics platform, Lattice, to the table. By fusing Meta's AI and AR capabilities with Anduril's software, these XR products will deliver real-time battlefield information to warfighters through augmented and virtual reality interfaces.
This collaboration could potentially revolutionize the military's approach to next-generation mixed-reality heads-up display systems. Anduril, which previously took over the U.S. Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) contract from Microsoft, plans to compete for the Army’s upcoming mixed-reality program, now rebranded as SBMC Next. The partnership is funded privately, using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software to cut costs, speed up deployment, and potentially save the military billions of dollars.
Palmer Luckey, Anduril's founder, expressed his excitement about the partnership, claiming it to be a significant opportunity to apply dual-use commercial technology in national defense. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing Meta's decade-long investment in AI and AR to create a computing platform for the future, and suggesting pride in supporting U.S. servicemembers with these technologies.
In summary, Meta and Anduril are jointly designing and testing AI-powered mixed reality headsets integrated with Anduril's Lattice system to improve soldiers' perception and autonomy on the battlefield. This collaboration could represent a major step forward in military applications of commercial AI and extended reality technology.
The collaboration between Meta and Anduril, harnessing Meta's extensive expertise in artificial intelligence and augmented reality, along with Anduril's Lattice system, aims to redefine industry standards in the finance, technology, and employment sectors. The partnership's focus on developing advanced XR devices is not limited to military use but also extends to community and employment policies, as the technology could offer significant advantages in various industries.
