SpaceX in race to build autonomous drone swarms for Pentagon
What's the story
Elon Musk's SpaceX and its subsidiary xAI are competing in a secret Pentagon contest, Bloomberg News reported. The contest is aimed at developing voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarming technology. SpaceX and xAI are among the few selected participants in the $100 million prize challenge, which was launched in January, according to the publication.
Strategic move
SpaceX acquires xAI ahead of IPO
Texas-based SpaceX recently acquired xAI, an artificial intelligence start-up founded by Musk. The merger was finalized ahead of SpaceX's planned initial public offering this year. Now, both companies are competing in the Pentagon contest to develop advanced swarming technology capable of converting voice commands into digital instructions and controlling multiple drones simultaneously.
Ethical concerns
Musk previously called for ban on offensive autonomous weapons
Notably, Musk was part of a group of AI and robotics researchers who signed an open letter in 2015 calling for a worldwide ban on "offensive autonomous weapons." Meanwhile, the US Defense Secretary had previously announced a new strategy to speed up drone development and deployment by reducing red tape and increasing domestic drone production.
Security measures
US seeks to neutralize drones safely and affordably
The US has also been looking for safe and affordable ways to neutralize drones, especially near airports and large sporting events. This need has grown more urgent with the upcoming FIFA World Cup and America250 anniversary celebrations this summer. Last year, OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI won contracts worth up to $200 million each to scale up advanced AI capabilities in the Pentagon.