SpaceX to compete in Pentagon contest for autonomous drone tech: Report

Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its wholly-owned subsidiary xAI ​are competing in a secret new Pentagon contest ‌to produce voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarming technology, Bloomberg ​News reported on Monday, citing people ⁠familiar with the matter.

SpaceX, xAI and the Pentagon’s defense innovation unit did not immediately respond to requests ‌for comment. Reuters could not independently verify the report.

Texas-based SpaceX recently acquired xAI ‌in a deal that combined Musk’s major ‌space ⁠and defence contractor with the billionaire entrepreneur’s ⁠artificial intelligence startup. It occurred ahead of SpaceX’s planned initial public offering this year.

Musk’s companies are reportedly among a select ​few chosen to participate ‌in the $100 million prize challenge initiated in January, according to the Bloomberg report.

The six-month competition aims to produce advanced swarming technology that ‌can translate voice commands into digital instructions and ​run multiple drones, the report said.

Musk was among a group of ⁠AI and robotics researchers who wrote an open letter in 2015 that advocated a global ban ‌on “offensive autonomous weapons,” arguing against making “new tools for killing people.”

The U.S. Defense Secretary last year outlined a new strategy to accelerate drone development and deployment by aiming to cut bureaucracy and boost domestic drone manufacturing.

The U.S. also has ‌been seeking safe and cost-effective ways to neutralize drones, particularly ​around airports and large sporting events – a concern that has become more urgent ⁠ahead of the FIFA World Cup and America250 anniversary ⁠celebrations this summer.

OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, Anthropic and xAI last year won contracts that are ‌worth up to $200 million each and aimed at scaling up adoption of advanced AI ​capabilities in the Pentagon.