Shield AI raises $200M to scale its AI drone pilots for the military

Shield AI, a defense technology startup that develops artificial intelligence pilots for drones and aircraft, has raised $200 million in its latest funding round, bringing its valuation to $2.7 billion. The company, which was founded in 2015, is now one of the most valuable startups in the AI and defense sectors.

The Series F round was co-led by U.S. Innovative Technology Fund (USIT) and Riot Ventures, both prior investors in Shield AI. Other contributors include existing investors Disruptive and Snowpoint and new investor ARK Invest, the investment management firm founded by Cathie Wood.

Shield AI’s core product is Hivemind, an AI pilot software that enables drones and aircraft to operate autonomously in contested environments, without relying on GPS or communication. The company claims that its technology can help the U.S. military and its allies gain an edge over adversaries like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, who are developing sophisticated counter-drone capabilities.

Shield AI has also developed a drone swarming capability it calls V-Bat Teams, which allows a single human operator to command a minimum of four V-Bat drones. The V-Bat drones, which take off and land vertically, were developed by Martin UAV, a company that Shield AI acquired earlier this year.

The company is also working to integrate Hivemind into uncrewed fighter jets and other aircraft, as well as collaborating with Boeing Co. on AI and autonomous defense programs .

The new funding will help Shield AI scale its products and expand its global presence, as well as invest in research and development. The company has offices in San Diego, Dallas and Washington, and employs more than 400 people.

“We are grateful for the support of our investors who share our vision of building the world’s best AI pilot,” Ryan Tseng, co-founder and CEO of Shield AI, said in a statement. “This funding accelerates the scaling of Shield AI’s products, enabling the deployment of intelligent systems that can operate without GPS or communication across air, land and sea domains.”

The company’s co-founder and president Brandon Tseng, a former Navy SEAL, said that they are building technology for “the new age of warfare,” adding that they want to be the Tesla "for all aviation assets".

Investor appetite for defense AI is seemingly growing despite some ethical squeamishness from the public regarding the tech’s use in warfare. Shield AI is not the only startup in this space that has attracted significant funding. Anduril Industries, another defense technology startup that makes autonomous drones and surveillance systems, raised $450 million in July at a $4.6 billion valuation. Palantir Technologies, a data analytics company that works with government agencies and defense contractors, went public last year at a $22 billion valuation.

However, not everyone is comfortable with the idea of using AI to enhance military capabilities. Some critics have raised concerns about the potential risks of autonomous weapons systems, such as loss of human control, accountability and oversight. Some tech workers have also protested against their employers’ involvement in defense contracts, such as Google’s Project Maven, which used AI to analyze drone footage for the Pentagon .

Shield AI says that it is committed to ethical principles and responsible use of its technology. The company says that it follows the Department of Defense’s guidelines on AI ethics, which include ensuring human judgment, reliability, traceability and governability of AI systems. The company also says that it does not develop lethal autonomous weapons systems or weapons that can target humans without human supervision.

References:

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