OpenAI is taking its biggest step into defense tech yet, partnering with Anduril Industries, which makes autonomous defense systems like drones, surveillance towers, and robotic vehicles.
It’s part of a large trend of Big Tech warming up to defense amid an intensifying technology arms race with China and tensions with Russia.
In a press release, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company builds AI to benefit people and support democratic values. Altman emphasized the partnership will help protect U S military personnel, and that the collaboration will ensure AI tech is used responsibly.
“Our partnership with Anduril will help ensure OpenAI technology protects U.S. military personnel, and will help the national security community understand and responsibly use this technology to keep our citizens safe and free,” Altman said.
The partnership aims to enhance counter unmanned aircraft systems that detect, assess, and neutralize aerial threats. OpenAI’s advanced models will be trained on Anduril’s data about drone threats and air defense operations. The models will analyze large volumes of live sensor data collected by Anduril’s systems, including radar, cameras, and other detection tools.
Using machine learning algorithms trained on Anduril’s Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems data library, the AI will identify patterns, classify potential threats, and prioritize responses. With natural language processing, the AI will generate actionable insights and recommend responses. They hope to improve situational awareness and aid faster decision making by efficiently processing time-sensitive data. The companies said the project will be subject to robust oversight and guided by technically informed protocols.
OpenAI’s stance on working with the military has shifted dramatically. Founded in 2015, OpenAI has evolved from a nonprofit research organization co-founded by Elon Musk and Sam Altman into a leader in artificial intelligence valued at over $150 billion. The company had a strict policy against working with the military until January 2024, when it changed its rules to allow use of its tech for non-offensive military applications. OpenAI partnered with the Department of Defense on AI based cybersecurity.
The Anduril partnership is OpenAI’s most direct engagement with the defense sector to date. The alliance marks a broader trend in Silicon Valley, where perceptions about defense tech have changed remarkably in recent years.
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, also initially restricted use of its AI models for military applications. The company revised that policy in November 2024, permitting US government agencies and defense contractors to use its Llama AI models for national security purposes. The policy shift was influenced by reports that China researchers had developed military AI tools using the Llama model without authorization.
President-elect Trump reportedly plans to launch a major initiative when he returns to the White House akin to the Manhattan Project. The Trump Administration is expected to roll back regulations and aggressively seek to make America first in AI. Musk, who Trump appointed alongside Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new group called the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, is expected to influence AI usage in military and defense.