The Pentagon has designated Palantir’s Maven artificial intelligence system as an official program of record, in a move that will lock in the weapons-targeting technology long term across the US military, Reuters reported on 21 March.
The move was announced in a letter from Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg issued to senior Pentagon leaders and US military commanders on 9 March.
Feinberg wrote that embedding Palantir’s Maven Smart System would provide the military “with the latest tools necessary to detect, deter, and dominate our adversaries in all domains.”
Maven is the US military’s main AI system, analyzing data from satellites, drones, radars, sensors, and reports. It uses AI to interpret data and swiftly identify and strike targets like enemy vehicles, buildings, and weapons.
The White House claims US warplanes have hit more than 7,800 targets since the war on Iran began just three weeks ago.
“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.
During a presentation at a Palantir event earlier this month, Pentagon official Cameron Stanley illustrated how the Maven program identifies targets.
“When we started this, it literally took hours to do what you just saw,” he said.
Hellbound and Down 