Bombay Durpun - OpenAI to partner with military defense tech company

The ChatGPT-maker and Anduril will focus on improving defenses against drone attacks, the companies said in a joint release.

The partnership comes nearly a year after OpenAI did away with wording in its policies that banned use of its technology for military or warfare purposes.

Founded in 2017, Anduril is a technology company that builds command and control systems and a variety of drones, counting the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom among its customers, according to its website.

OpenAI said in October that it was collaborating with the US military's research arm DARPA on cyber defenses for critical networks.

"AI is a transformational technology that can be used to strengthen democratic values or to undermine them," OpenAI said in a post at the time.

"With the proper safeguards, AI can help protect people, deter adversaries, and even prevent future conflict."

The companies said the deal would help the United States maintain an edge over China, a goal that OpenAI chief Sam Altman has spoken of in the past.

"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," Altman said in Wednesday's release.

Anduril was co-founded by Palmer Luckey, after Facebook bought his previous company Oculus VR in a $2 billion deal.

The new partnership will bring together OpenAI's advanced AI models with Anduril systems and software, according to the companies.

"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," Anduril co-founder and chief executive Brian Schimpf said in the release.

Schimpf said the collaboration would allow "military and intelligence operators to make faster, more accurate decisions in high-pressure situations."

G.Radhakrishnan--BD