Shield AI is a California-based startup employing artificial intelligence to develop products that offer protection for service members and civilians. It is primarily a defense technology organization that uses self-driving software, enabling the unmanned systems to operate smoothly even without the availability of GPS or any other form of communication. The organization’s main aim is to make a difference in people’s lives, especially the service members and the civilians residing within the conflict zones.
In the recent Series C funding rounds, this organization managed to raise a whopping $90 million taking the total funding to about $138 million. Shield AI aims to utilize this funding towards integrating the self-driving software into varied platforms of the defense sector.
This AI-based firm was founded in the year 2015 by Brandon Tseng, Andrew Reiter, and Ryan Tseng. Brandon, one of the co-founders, is a former NAVY SEAL who, when returned from his last deployment, had one goal in mind- to use artificial intelligence in a way that it powers as well as protects the service members and civilians. Brandon clearly understood how difficult it was to navigate missions without either information or intelligence. Therefore, he theorized that AI’s application in the defense sector could produce revolutionary results and clear the fog of war.
Shield AI’s Hivemind self-driving software runs on Nova Class SUAS for surveying and exploring areas to help the military personnel without GPS or communication links. It’s being used since the year 2018. In this age of technology, unmanned systems with GPS or communication links are often hacked and attacked by the rival side. Therefore, the software that Shield AI claims to make helps to ensure national interest and safety.
Shield AI couples the expertise of engineers with veterans’ experience to create a product that is beneficial for the nation’s security. The CEO of Shield AI, Ryan Tseng, claims that their products could be game-changers and provide the military with an unprecedented advantage. Reinforcement learning (a machine learning domain that focuses on how intelligence takes actions in a given environment to maximize the reward) is also applied to the software and simulations to keep evolving and learning the additional tactics and behaviors, thereby allowing it to stay up-to-date with the new missions and varying requirements of the defense sector like the undertaking of clearance operations.
Shield AI has been recognized under Forbes AI 50, WIRED 25 and has also been acknowledged as a leading government services provider by Inc. 5000.
The company now plans to unveil its new generation Nova Class SUAS to better the defense sector’s services. The application of AI would be further refined with the help of the new funding received. The software delivery will also be accelerated to reach the maximum conflict zones and make a difference.
Source Link: http://www.shield.ai/
Amreen Bawa is a consulting intern at MarktechPost. Along with pursuing BA Hons in Social Sciences from Panjab University, Chandigarh, she is also a keen learner and writer, having special interest in the application and scope of artificial intelligence in various facets of life.
