Skynet? Palmer Luckey & Sam Altman Combine Forces For “National Security Missions” 

Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, is positioning Anduril Industries—his Southern California startup defense firm—as a challenger to military-industrial giants like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and General Dynamics.

Anduril announced on Wednesday a strategic partnership with Sam Altman’s OpenAI to develop and deploy advanced artificial intelligence for national security missions. 

“By bringing together OpenAI’s advanced models with Anduril’s high-performance defense systems and Lattice software platform, the partnership aims to improve the nation’s defense systems that protect U.S. and allied military personnel from attacks by unmanned drones and other aerial devices,” the startup wrote in a statement. 

Introducing:

Roadrunner, a compact VTOL drone powered by twin thrust-vectored turbojet engines with extraordinary speed, range, and payload capacity.

&

Roadrunner-M, a radical new low-cost weapon that allows for unprecedented tactics against powerful threats. pic.twitter.com/2C7Ga0h1Hf

— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) December 1, 2023

The war in Ukraine and the broadening conflicts across the Middle East have shocked military advisors in recent years due to the proliferation of aerial threats from both unmanned systems and manned platforms, which have had devastating impacts. We’ve all seen the shocking kamikaze drone footage posted on X, showing drones neutralizing commercial vessels in the southern Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden, as well as suicide drones hunting soldiers in Ukraine. 

Anduril and OpenAI’s strategic partnership will focus on upgrading America’s counter-unmanned aircraft systems “to detect, assess and respond potentially lethal aerial threats in real-time,” according to the startup, adding, “As part of the new initiative, Anduril and OpenAI will explore how leading edge AI models can be leveraged to rapidly synthesize time-sensitive data, reduce the burden on human operators, and improve situational awareness.” 

Anduril continued:

The accelerating race between the United States and China to lead the world in advancing AI makes this a pivotal moment. If the United States cedes ground, we risk losing the technological edge that has underpinned our national security for decades.

The decisions made now will determine whether the United States remains a leader in the 21st century or risks being outpaced by adversaries who don’t share our commitment to freedom and democracy and would use AI to threaten other countries.

Brian Schimpf, co-founder & CEO of Anduril, released this statement:

“Anduril builds defense solutions that meet urgent operational needs for the US and allied militaries. Our partnership with OpenAI will allow us to utilize their world-class expertise in artificial intelligence to address urgent Air Defense capability gaps across the world. Together, we are committed to developing responsible solutions that enable military and intelligence operators to make faster, more accurate decisions in high-pressure situations.”

OpenAI’s Altman said:

“OpenAI builds AI to benefit as many people as possible, and supports US-led efforts to ensure the technology upholds democratic values. Our partnership with Anduril will help ensure OpenAI technology protects US military personnel, and will help the national security community understand and responsibly use this technology to keep our citizens safe and free.” 

Luckey is leveraging his Silicon Valley background to disrupt the defense sector. And apparently, Altman is on board, too. 

Recall what President-elect Trump said in July….

Trump: “I will build an Iron Dome over our country.” pic.twitter.com/jrhLmL1bdC

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 23, 2024

ChatGPT missiles next?