OpenAI collaborates with Anduril, a defense technology company

As part of the partnership, OpenAI will integrate its software with Anduril’s counter-drone systems that detect and destroy drones. This is OpenAI’s first partnership with a defense contractor and a significant change from its previous stance on the military. OpenAI’s terms of service once prohibited the technology’s exploit for military and warfare purposes, but earlier this year the company softened its stance on military uses, amending its terms of service in January to remove the ban.

“OpenAI is building AI to benefit as many people as possible, and supports U.S.-led efforts to ensure the technology upholds democratic values,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a speech statement. “Our partnership with Anduril will help ensure that OpenAI technology protects U.S. military personnel and will also help the national security community understand and use this technology responsibly to keep our citizens safe and free.”

as Wall Street Journal notes, Anduril – currently valued at $14 billion – has a $200 million counter-drone systems contract with the Marine Corps. However, OpenAI will not only benefit financially from its partnership with Anduril; it also means gaining political influence. Anduril’s co-founder, Palmer Luckey, was an early supporter of President-elect Donald Trump and also has ties to Elon Musk, one of the heads of the still nebulous (and still defunct) Department of Government Effectiveness. And the America First Policy Institute, a right-wing think tank that works closely with Trump’s transition team, has proposed that Trump exploit artificial intelligence to create a up-to-date “Manhattan Project” for defense.