As technological supremacy becomes increasingly pertinent to the protection of government and militaries around the world, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken center stage leading the way in defense innovation. According to a report by CNN Business, Venture Capitalists invested almost 5 times as much into AI firms in the first half of 2023 than during the same period in 2022.
The following list is 9 exciting AI companies that we have our eyes on here at Karve who are redefining the future of national security with cutting-edge solutions that enhance decision-making, surveillance, and combat strategies. From autonomous drones to cyber defense systems, these trailblazers are at the forefront of creating a robust defense ecosystem powered by AI.
This article delves into the groundbreaking work of these firms, showcasing how their innovations are not only transforming the battlefield but also reshaping the global defense landscape. Join us as we explore the vanguard of national security technology.
FEATURED AI COMPANIES
1) ANDURIL
2) EPIRUS
3) SHIELD AI
4) HELSING
5) REBELLION
(6) DARKTRACE
(7) ANOMALI
(8) PALANTIR
(9) HAWKEYE 360
1) ANDURIL
The next generation of military technology will depend less on advances in shipbuilding and aircraft design than on advances in software engineering and computing. Unlike traditional defense contractors who focus primarily on hardware, Anduril’s core system is Lattice OS, an autonomous sensemaking and command & control platform that serves as the core platform for our suite of capabilities.
Lattice persistently analyzes the environment and artificial intelligence algorithms detect, track and classify objects of interest in any domain. Only relevant points are surfaced to operators through customized alerts allowing them to focus on the mission and not the monitors.
Their engineers are experts in AI, robotics, advanced sensors, secure networking, aerospace, virtual reality technology, aircraft modeling and simulation. Military veterans are more than 20% of the team and use their defense experience to ensure our products meet the needs of servicemen and women in the battlefield.
Visit www.anduril.com for more information.
2) EPIRUS
Epirus is a high-growth tech company based in the US who is developing ‘directed energy systems’ that enable significant counter-electronics effects and power management solutions that optimize efficiency in defense.
They built, demonstrated and validated its flagship product Leonidas – the world’s most powerful software-defined high-power microwave (HPM) system – in under a year, a testament to the company’s culture of rapid innovation.
We’re particularly excited to watch partnerships like Epirus & Anduril develop with collaborative AI at the forefront of military operations. Their joint statement said recently: “Leonidas’ successful integration with Lattice demonstrates the system’s ability to rapidly ingest and process inputs, including timing, radar track data, commands and more, through Lattice to lock and track designated targets. When cued by Lattice, Leonidas effectively neutralizes targets, without harming operators nor blue force assets”.
Visit www.epirusinc.com for more information.
3) SHIELD AI
When he was a Navy SEAL, Shield AI co-founder Brandon Tseng experienced firsthand problems where intelligent autonomy could have made life-saving differences. He asked himself what does the military of 2030 look like and what role does autonomy play. The answer – AI pilots powering every military asset: aircraft, drones, ships, satellites and submarines.
Similar to a human pilot, their proprietary AI-powered Hivemind reads and reacts to the battlefield, and does not require GPS, waypoints, or comms to make decisions. Hivemind enables intelligent teams to perform missions ranging from room clearance, penetrating air defense systems with their stunning V-BATs, to aerial dogfighting too.
With a strong team of talented people behind them and a recent $200 Million funding round that values the company at $2.7 Billion, we’re excited to see how Shield AI develops in 2024, redefining the operational military landscape.
Visit www.shield.ai for more information.
4) HELSING
Helsing is a self-proclaimed “new type of defense AI company”. They believe that software, in particular artificial intelligence, will be the key to protecting our democracies. That’s why they’re building an operating system for warfare that it says will only sell to democracies – a noble mission indeed.
Its AI platform claims to be able to boost defense and national security effectiveness by making them more efficient using real-time live data, and with former Director of Intelligence at Meta joining the ranks, they are driving forward this mission at scale.
Helsing’s Director of Programmes comments on the evolutions of the battlefield: “intelligent networking, especially with medium to small sized forces, is crucial in modern warfare where dispersion is key. For collective defense the additional requirements are interoperability and the ability to quickly share mission critical data such as target coordinates.”
Visit www.helsing.ai for more information.
5) REBELLION
The team at Rebellion believe that warfighters must be equipped with the best software capabilities to detect, deter and outpace the modern adversary at speed and scale. They deliver decision-quality insights so operators and analysts can make faster, more informed decisions to keep our adversaries at bay.
Rebellion Defense's mission platform uses machine learning, predictive analysis, sensor data and AI-powered tools to scan networks continually for vulnerabilities and to identify what could happen in real life if a security gap were exploited.
Visit www.rebelliondefense.com for more information.
6) DARKTRACE
It’s no secret that across the globe, Artificial Intelligence is enabling cyber-criminals to generate highly personalized and unique attacks at scale.
Rather than learning from previously encountered attacks, DarkTrace’s unique Self-Learning AI takes a different approach. It understands your organization, learning from every user and device, and the connections between them. This means that it can reveal subtle deviations that point to a cyber-threat – even one augmented by AI, using tools and techniques that have never been seen before. Impressive stuff indeed.
Based out of Cambridge (UK), we’re excited to watch DarkTrace’s innovative AI powered platform being deployed within National Security operations as their product develops.
Visit www.darktrace.com for more information.
7) ANOMALI
In a similar vein to DarkTrace, Anomali utilizes AI in cybersecurity but aligned to faster responses to threat detection intelligently. Fueled by a highly efficient big data engine, AI & machine learning, and the world’s largest intelligence repository, The Anomali Platform delivers security analytics to transform security at a lower cost.
The cloud-native Anomali Security Operations Platform is a game-changer for security professionals; based on innovative capabilities delivered by pervasive and fully integrated artificial intelligence, it enables organizations to search, provide context, and correlate billions of records in a matter of seconds to investigate security events, assess compliance, and predict the next attack.
Visit www.anomali.com for more information.
8) PALANTIR
Mature in Defense innovation, Palantir markets four core software platforms, each rooted in AI services such as machine learning and large language models (LLMs). Earlier this year, the company released its newest offering, AIP, which leverages generative AI applications to help businesses derive key insights.
Palantir is shaping modern warfare through its use of algorithms, artificial intelligence, and data integration from multiple sources like satellites and drones. It allows for rapid target identification, selection of appropriate weapons, and battle damage assessment in minutes rather than hours. Ukraine has benefited from some of Palantir's technologies in its defense against Russia and with a $250million AI Service contract awarded recently, they are likely to feature heavily in future warfare.
Visit www.palantir.com for more information.
(9) HAWKEYE 360
HawkEye 360 is a defense technology leader advancing situational awareness derived from their company’s innovative space-based technology. By providing a new layer of certainty to situational awareness, HawkEye 360 is the first commercial company to detect, geolocate, and characterize a broad range of RF signals, from their growing constellation in Low Earth Orbit. Their satellites work in clusters of three to provide space-based RF sensing that delivers early indicators of human activities, and greater awareness through the mapping of RF energy.
The Virginia (US) based firm has gotten real-world testing throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and according to the NY Times, has earned praise from top Government officials and investors alike.
Visit www.he360.com for more information.
CONCLUSION
Whilst there’s a plethora of AI companies innovating and supporting National Security, it’s these firms that we’ve been notably excited by who are harnessing cutting-edge AI to enhance decision-making, surveillance, and combat strategies, propelling us toward a future where technology is interwoven with every aspect of military operations.
From autonomous systems that process environmental data to direct energy weapons and cybersecurity solutions powered by self-learning AI, these innovators are crafting a robust defense ecosystem. The advancements we're observing today are indicative of a tomorrow where AI not only supports but also strategically guides defense mechanisms on a global scale. Our excitement is rooted in the potential of these technologies to secure and strengthen governments and armed forces, solidifying a safer, more resilient world.
