OpenAI is collaborating with two defense technology companies chosen by the Pentagon to participate in a significant military challenge valued at $100 million. This initiative, which began in January, was introduced by the Defense Innovation Unit along with the Special Operations Command’s Defense Autonomous Warfare Group. Its primary goal is to create prototypes that can effectively manage autonomous drone swarms using verbal commands.
In this context, OpenAI’s involvement is specifically focused on converting voice commands given on the battlefield into actionable digital instructions for unmanned systems. Importantly, OpenAI will not be directly controlling the drones, nor will it be responsible for weapon integration or target selection, as clarified by sources privy to the arrangement.
Notably, OpenAI did not submit a formal bid for the competition. Instead, their participation is limited to providing open-source versions of their technology, which can be utilized in this military project.
The competition will unfold over six months, progressing through various phases that start with software development and lead into live testing stages. Future phases are anticipated to incorporate coordinated operations across air and sea systems, elements the Pentagon suggests could significantly influence effectiveness and lethality of military operations.
This initiative underlines a growing partnership between OpenAI and the defense sector, further demonstrated by a recent Pentagon announcement regarding the provision of ChatGPT access to approximately 3 million personnel within the Defense Department. Despite these advancements, OpenAI’s CEO has previously indicated that the company does not foresee developing AI-driven weapons systems in the nearby future, even though it remains a possibility that is not entirely dismissed.