Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta forays into defence sector, signs deal with Anduril for ‘AI, mixed reality gear'| what it means

Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta Platforms and defence technology startup Anduril Industries have announced a deal to develop “mixed reality gear” to provide soldiers with enhanced control on the battlefields, according to reports.

The development, will fuse Meta's augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) tech with Anduril's data analytics platform ‘Lattice’, into a product such as glasses, goggles or visors, AFP reported.

“Meta has spent the last decade building AI and AR to enable the computing platform of the future. We're proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American servicemembers that protect our interests at home and abroad,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in the release.

Anduril describes its Lattice platform as an AI-powered command and control system that integrates data from thousands of sources to provide real-time battlefield intelligence for decision making.

Meta, Anduril deal — What does this mean?

The partnership will include developing new products for US military use and includes an AI-powered helmet with virtual reality (VR) and AR features, according to a Bloomberg report.

Anduril is working with Meta “to design, build, and field a range of integrated XR products that provide warfighters with enhanced perception and enable intuitive control of autonomous platforms on the battlefield”, the company blog said.

According to a report by Core Memory, at least one of the products will be a “sci-fi-style military helmet” named “Eagle Eye”.

“It’s the thing that everyone’s always wanted. People have called them different things: They’ve called them Call of Duty googles. They’ve called it, you know, the helmet from Halo. These are old ideas that have only recently become really technologically viable,” Palmer Luckey, the co-founder of Anduril, told Core Memory in an interview.

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Notably, Meta changed its “acceptable use” policies in November to allow use of its large language AI models by US military contractors, including Lockheed Martin Corp., Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. and Palantir Technologies Inc.

A spokesperson for Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Bloomberg said.

Notably, Anduril's Luckey also co-founded Oculus VR, the gaming headset company he sold to Meta in 2014. He was removed from Meta after controversy around financing a group creating anti-Hillary Clinton memes ahead of the 2016 US presidential election.

Since Donald Trump's re-election, Mark Zuckerberg’s politics too have trended rightward. The tech billionaire also bought a $23 million residence in Washington DC.

(With inputs from Agencies)