Palantir will develop an AI system for the US Army for $178m

US company Palantir has won a $178.4m contract with the US Army to develop an artificial intelligence system for reconnaissance and guidance in combat environments.

Here's What We Know

According to a statement from Palantir, it will place its systems inside a large truck, making it the first army vehicle with AI on board. The vehicle in question is the TITAN (Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node) ground station.

TITAN is designed to collect data from space, aircraft and ground sensors and use AI to process that information. The goal is to improve mission control and long-range precision fire.

As Palantir noted, the TITAN solution is focused on maximising soldier convenience, with feedback from soldiers throughout all stages of development.

The project brings together traditional Pentagon contractors like Northrop Grumman and L3Harris, as well as new companies like Anduril Industries and Palantir.

Palantir CEO Alex Karp described TITAN as a logical extension of the controversial Maven project to use machine learning to analyse data from drones. In his view, it is a move by the Pentagon to apply advanced technology to combat operations.

AFCEA International previously reported that TITAN will be the Army's first AI and machine learning-based reconnaissance station.

Palantir's ties to the military have raised concerns in the UK, where the company is working on a unified medical data platform project.

Flashback

Palantir is a US-based developer of software platforms for analysing and integrating big data from different sources. The company provides its solutions to both government agencies and large commercial organisations and financial institutions.

Palantir's key products are two platforms: Palantir Gotham, focused on government contracts, and Palantir Metropolis for the corporate sector. They allow processing and analysing heterogeneous data sets in order to improve the efficiency of decision-making.

In the past, the company's activities have been repeatedly criticised and accused of cooperation with intelligence services, market monopoly and a non-transparent corporate structure with a closed management system.

Palantir is known for its involvement in developing controversial projects for military and government customers, including the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for national security.

Source: The Register