Eric Schmidt’s AI-powered military drone venture is quietly arming up.
Forbes reports the ex-Google CEO’s secretive company has poached roughly a dozen employees from Apple, SpaceX, Google, and more over the past several months.
It’s also sourced key candidates from the federal government and Schmidt’s own nonprofit organization, Schmidt Futures, according to Forbes.
A representative for Schmidt declined to comment.
Schmidt has been building the venture quietly. First revealed to be named White Stork by Forbes, the outlet reports it’s since been renamed Project Eagle.
Forbes reports the company has been testing AI-guided drones both from Hillspire — Schmidt’s family office in Silicon Valley — and in Ukraine, where he’s visited on multiple occasions.
Schmidt’s been outspoken about his belief that AI could revolutionize modern warfare.
In April, he penned an op-ed encouraging Congress to approve an aid package that would give $60 billion to Ukraine.
Military affairs and AI are long-held passions for the tech luminary.
After departing Google, Schmidt served as chair of both the Department of Defense’s Innovation Board and the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.
AI comes to the battlefield
While it may once have seemed like science fiction, AI is already making an impact in modern warfare.
Israel reportedly used AI to identify targets to fire on during its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
Some experts think AI could revolutionize decision-making in war time, and reduce costs as military leaders simulate war games to strategize what could happen in future conflicts.
But others have warned against the rapid adoption of AI in combat, questioning whether legal and ethical considerations are moving fast enough in step to keep it in check.