The New Frontier in Military Innovation: AI-Driven Drones Transform Warfare Dynamics

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Happy Wednesday, folks.

Apparently, “Spring Break” is a thing for you younger readers. If you’re still reading this while in the Dominican or Tahoe or wherever else you kids go (it’s certainly not Miami…), stop. Get a life. Go hit the beach or hang out with friends or something. You’re not impressing anyone.

AI Drones show that our future military will be run by former Call of Duty players

Interest in defense tech has been rising for the last couple of years, but even under this umbrella is a specific sector that would make Waymo jealous: drones.

Eric Schmidt, yes the former CEO of Google, made headlines with his secretive new military drone startup, White Stork. The terrifying exciting vehicles use AI to precisely identify targets, allowing drones to operate without putting the operator in harm’s way. No word on whether purchases come with the therapy needed after taking dozens of human lives.

Another startup in the space, Firestorm, also raised some funding. Investors hope that this $15 million injection will aid Ukraine’s war efforts by rapidly 3D printing drones directly on the front lines. Even if it’s not market-ready in time for this war, it seems likely that there will be plenty of customers for years to come.

Other companies were actually ahead of the wave, like Red Cat which just signed a contract with Primordial Labs to power the former’s Teal drones, used by government defense and security agencies, with voice control.

It’s not that these guys just read too many WWII books or played too much COD and wanted to build these things for funsies, either.

The Air Force just announced plans to deploy 1000 AI-powered aerial drones.

Unmanned aerial vehicles are being used in the Russia-Ukraine war, and our military is confident that AI will bring current costs down considerably. Over the next five years, the plan is to pump out these machines to give every Maverick his Goose.

Power-hungry leaders around the world aren’t going to suddenly decide to play nice, and investors salivate knowing the government is more than happy to take on more debt to pay out $100 million contracts. Just ask Palantir.

This year has already seen $1.7 billion in (disclosed) investment after just $3.3 billion was invested in all of 2023.

The sector is controversial. Not many people want to say “oh yeah, I started a data analytics company that can help surgeons to better predict patient outcomes, optimize aid allocation for non-profits, and help the military to locate the secret underground bunkers of their enemies to bomb them.”

But for those with the stomach for it, there will always be a need for data and intelligence software, especially in defense.

Hardware is also a never-ending need, and given Tesla’s Optimus, it’s only a matter of time before we start to see similar unmanned technology for ground troops and sea-faring vehicles. Just take a peep at the US’ defense budget.

However, I think the real golden opportunity here is for you chemists to make a magic love potion that makes us stop killing each other over money, religion, and territory 🥰🧪😽 

Interest in defense technology, particularly drones, is increasing, with Eric Schmidt's secretive military drone startup, White Stork, utilizing AI for precise target identification. Meanwhile, Firestorm aims to support Ukraine's war efforts with 3D-printed drones, and other companies like Red Cat advance in voice-controlled drones, signaling robust growth and investment in defense tech despite its controversial nature.

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Cheers to another day,

Trey