Meta is joining forces with defense technology startup Anduril Industries to create military products that incorporate artificial intelligence and augmented reality, the companies announced Thursday.
Anduril said the new tools are designed to deliver “real-time battlefield intelligence” to soldiers, enhancing their ability to make data-informed decisions on the ground. “This integration will transform how warfighters see, sense and integrate battlefield information,” the company stated.
Founded in 2017, Anduril has differentiated itself from traditional defense giants like Boeing and Lockheed Martin by self-funding its development of autonomous, AI-powered weapon systems capable of identifying and engaging targets without direct human control.
“It’s a scary idea, but, I mean, that’s the world we live in,” Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, who made his fortune building Oculus before selling it to Meta in 2014, said in a recent 60 Minutes interview. “I’d say it’s a lot scarier, for example, to imagine a weapons system that doesn’t have any level of intelligence at all.”
