A number of Silicon Valley’s leading techies have joined the Army Reserve to form a newly-created unit that aims to accelerate the use AI in military planning.
Palantir’s Shyam Sankar and Meta’s Andrew Bosworth have joined Detachment 101: Executive Innovation Corps. Kevin Weil is the Chief Product Officer of OpenAI, while former OpenAI Chief Sales Officer Bob McGrew has also signed up. They will be appointed lieutenant colonels of the Army Reserve. The official statement read
“Det. 201 is an effort to recruit senior tech executives to serve part-time in the Army Reserve as senior advisors. In this role they will work on targeted projects to help guide rapid and scalable tech solutions to complex problems,” . “By bringing private-sector know-how into uniform, Det. 201 is supercharging efforts like the Army Transformation Initiative, which aims to make the force leaner, smarter, and more lethal.”
It is not surprising that the new recruits came from a variety of sources. Palantir, which has been working with the US Army’s Maven Project since 2008, won a contract worth 480 million dollars last year. This project aims to integrate AI in every aspect of war, allowing software to coordinate responses from disparate sources.
Meta announced only last month that it was partnering with Palmer Luckey’s Anduril Industries, a former employee, to sell extended-reality eyewear to US military. Meta’s Bosworth stated that he is “honored” ready to accept his new position. He said in X. “I have accepted this commission in a personal capacity because I am deeply invested in helping advance American technological innovation. Nerdsnipe: Anyone care to venture a guess on why we called our detachment ‘201’?”
Although he has not confirmed, it is 99.999 percent sure that the last line referred to the HTTP code of 201 which is used to create resources. This unit already sounds like the few and the geeky.
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Open AI has been building ties with military-technology for years. OpenAI, like Meta, is working on military ideas with Anduril. Last year it scandalized some when it diluted the past commitment of developing only non-military product.
On Friday, the Army did not answer questions, but an article cited by Weil stated that four people would be required to serve 120 hours per year, could work remotely, and wouldn’t need to pass basic training. This is probably no problem for Weil, who is a marathon runner.
“America wins when we unite the dynamism of American innovation with the military’s vital missions,” sankar stated in X. “This was the key to our triumphs in the 20th century. It can help us win again. I’m humbled by this new opportunity to serve my country, my home, America.” (r)
