SpaceX to compete in Pentagon contest for autonomous drone tech, Bloomberg News reports

Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its wholly-owned subsidiary xAI are competing in a secret new Pentagon contest to ‌produce voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarming technology, Bloomberg News reported on ‌Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

SpaceX, xAI and the Pentagon’s defense innovation unit ​did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not independently verify the report.

Texas-based SpaceX recently acquired xAI in a deal that combined Musk’s major space and defense contractor with the billionaire entrepreneur’s artificial ‌intelligence startup. It occurred ahead ⁠of SpaceX’s planned initial public offering this year.

Musk’s companies are reportedly among a select few chosen to participate ⁠in the $100 million prize challenge initiated in January, according to the Bloomberg report.

The six-month competition aims to produce advanced swarming technology that can translate ​voice ​commands into digital instructions and run ​multiple drones, the report said.

Musk ‌was among a group of AI and robotics researchers who wrote an open letter in 2015 that advocated a global ban on “offensive autonomous weapons,” arguing against making “new tools for killing people.”

The U.S. Defense Secretary last year outlined a new strategy to accelerate drone development and deployment ‌by aiming to cut bureaucracy and boost ​domestic drone manufacturing.

The U.S. also has been ​seeking safe and cost-effective ​ways to neutralize drones, particularly around airports and large ‌sporting events – a concern that has ​become more urgent ​ahead of the FIFA World Cup and America250 anniversary celebrations this summer.

OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, Anthropic and xAI last year won contracts ​that are worth ‌up to $200 million each and aimed at scaling up adoption ​of advanced AI capabilities in the Pentagon.