NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) – Palantir’s Maven artificial intelligence system will become a formally adopted program, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg said in a letter to Pentagon leaders, a move that ensures the long-term use of Palantir’s weapons targeting technology in the U.S. military.
In the March 9 letter to senior Pentagon leadership and U.S. military commanders, Feinberg said the incorporation of Palantir’s Maven Smart System should provide warfighters with “the latest tools needed to detect, deter, and dominate our adversaries across all domains.”
The decision is expected to come into force at the end of the current fiscal year, which ends in September, according to the letter, analyzed by Reuters.
Maven is a command and control software platform that analyzes battlefield data and identifies targets. It is already the main AI operating system for the US Army, which has carried out thousands of targeted attacks against Iran over the past three weeks.
Designating Maven as an officially adopted program will simplify its implementation across all branches of the military and provide stable, long-term funding, Feinberg said.
The memo determines that supervision of Maven be transferred from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to the Pentagon office responsible for artificial intelligence and digital technologies within 30 days. According to the letter, future contracts with Palantir will be the responsibility of the United States Army.
Continues after advertising
“It is imperative that we invest now and with focus to deepen the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across the Joint Force and establish AI-enabled decision-making as the cornerstone of our strategy,” Feinberg wrote.
Palantir and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by David Jeans)
