Palantir Technologies, a software company that specialises in analysing, integrating, and presenting vast amounts of data, has launched the Palantir Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP). The AIP was showcased in a video released by the company last Tuesday.
The AIP is a powerful tool that can be used to make 'better' decisions in a variety of settings, including the military. In the video, Palantir showed how the AIP could be used to help a military operator monitor the Eastern European theatre and respond to a perceived threat. The operator was monitoring satellite imagery when they noticed a large concentration of enemy forces gathering near the border. The AIP quickly analysed the situation and proposed a number of tactical responses. For example, the AIP could be used to launch a drone to gather more information about the enemy forces, or to coordinate airstrikes. The AIP can also utilise other Palantir tools, such as Project Maven, DoD project to develop artificial intelligence for analysing drone footage.
Palantir has also developed the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node, or TITAN, a truck that fuses intelligence from a host of sources. The AIP is still under development, but it has the potential to revolutionise the way the military makes decisions. By providing real-time analysis of vast amounts of data, the AIP can help military commanders make 'better' decisions faster. Palantir is not the only company developing AI-powered tools for the military. Other companies, such as Google and Microsoft, are also working on similar projects. However, Palantir is one of the leaders in this field, and its AIP is one of the most advanced AI platforms available.
The development of AI-powered tools for the military will always be controversial. The debate over the use of AI in warfare is likely to continue for some time. However, it is clear that AI is already having a significant impact on the military, and its role is only going to grow in the years to come.
According to Defense One 'Palantir CEO Alex Karp showed up in Ukraine this week for a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said that Karp is the first CEO to visit Kyiv since Russia’s invasion in late February. “Impressive support and faith in credibility of investments: agreed on office opening and digital support of Army,” Federov tweeted. Palantir told Bloomberg that Karp discussed how the company “can continue to use its technology to support Ukraine.”
Given this, one can only assume that AIP is battle tested. Defense One have an interesting range of stories on this company, for those that want to dig beyond the scope of this blog.
Palantir, history
"They're in a scary business," says Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Lee Tien. ACLU analyst Jay Stanley has written that Palantir's software could enable a "true totalitarian nightmare, monitoring the activities of innocent Americans on a mass scale."
There's reason for such comments. The cofounders of the company Thiel and Karp both have, shall we say, an interesting backstory. PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel had cofounded PayPal and sold it to eBay in October 2002 for $1.5 billion. Thiel, was also the first big investor in Facebook, he has sold most of his stake in the social network. Other investments include in Space X and Stipe.
He went on to create a hedge fund, Clarium Capita, and continued to found new companies: One would become Palantir, named by Thiel for the 'Palantiri seeing stones from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, orbs that allow the holder to gaze across vast distances to track friends and foes.' Thiel wanted to utilise the anti-fraud software from PayPal to help stop terrorist attacks.
Thiel has emerged as a major donor to Republican candidates and campaigns in the 2022 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets. He has donated more than $35 million to 16 federal-level Republicans, including some who are challenging incumbent senators and representatives, through Thiel Capital. Thiel's political spending has increased significantly since 2016, when he gave $1.25 million to support Donald Trump's presidential bid. He also backed libertarian Ron Paul in 2012.
Thiel has had a decades long friendship with Karp, starting at Stanford Law School. The two quickly got investment from the CIA, via In-Q-Tel, the CIA's investment arm. They continued being the sole funder of Palantir from from 2005 to 2008.
According to Defense One 'Palantir CEO Alex Karp showed up in Ukraine this week for a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said that Karp is the first CEO to visit Kyiv since Russia’s invasion in late February. “Impressive support and faith in credibility of investments: agreed on office opening and digital support of Army,” Federov tweeted. Palantir told Bloomberg that Karp discussed how the company “can continue to use its technology to support Ukraine.”
Given this, one can only assume that AIP is battle tested. Defense One have an interesting range of stories on this company, for those that want to dig beyond the scope of this blog.
Palantir, history
"They're in a scary business," says Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Lee Tien. ACLU analyst Jay Stanley has written that Palantir's software could enable a "true totalitarian nightmare, monitoring the activities of innocent Americans on a mass scale."
There's reason for such comments. The cofounders of the company Thiel and Karp both have, shall we say, an interesting backstory. PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel had cofounded PayPal and sold it to eBay in October 2002 for $1.5 billion. Thiel, was also the first big investor in Facebook, he has sold most of his stake in the social network. Other investments include in Space X and Stipe.
He went on to create a hedge fund, Clarium Capita, and continued to found new companies: One would become Palantir, named by Thiel for the 'Palantiri seeing stones from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, orbs that allow the holder to gaze across vast distances to track friends and foes.' Thiel wanted to utilise the anti-fraud software from PayPal to help stop terrorist attacks.
Thiel has emerged as a major donor to Republican candidates and campaigns in the 2022 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets. He has donated more than $35 million to 16 federal-level Republicans, including some who are challenging incumbent senators and representatives, through Thiel Capital. Thiel's political spending has increased significantly since 2016, when he gave $1.25 million to support Donald Trump's presidential bid. He also backed libertarian Ron Paul in 2012.
Thiel has had a decades long friendship with Karp, starting at Stanford Law School. The two quickly got investment from the CIA, via In-Q-Tel, the CIA's investment arm. They continued being the sole funder of Palantir from from 2005 to 2008.
In-Q-Tel
Was founded in 1999. In-Q-Tel's investment strategy is focused on three broad areas:Software: In-Q-Tel invests in software companies that are developing innovative technologies in areas such as big data, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
- Infrastructure: In-Q-Tel invests in infrastructure companies that are developing new technologies for areas such as cloud computing, data storage, and networking.
- Materials sciences: In-Q-Tel invests in materials sciences companies that are developing new materials with applications in areas such as sensors, energy storage, and biomedicine.
Palantir and the UK
The company already has deep roots within the UK government. This isn't a secret, although it's very under reported. Vice Media, Byline Times and OpenDemocracy have been the main organisations that have looked at this, particularly their contracts over NHS data being processed by Palantir. Click on the links to see the search history of what these media outlets have written. Some excellent journalism is available!If you wish to see (some of) the extensive list of contracts they have with the UK government, then the contracts finder service is a fine start.
A January 23 FOI request to Defra produced the following, somewhat opaque, response:
"Also, in an agreement with Crown Commercial Services for the supply of 'back office software', of which Palantir helped platform build as part of a framework agreement, the posted customer list for said software includes:
1. Any of the following:
a) Ministerial government departments;
b) Non ministerial government departments;
c) Executive agencies of government;
d) Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), including advisory NDPBs, executive
NDPBs, and tribunal NDPBs;
e) Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies (ASPBs);
f) Police forces;
g) Fire and rescue services;
h) Ambulance services;
i) Maritime and coastguard agency services;
j) NHS bodies;
k) Educational bodies or establishments including state schools (nursery schools,
primary schools, middle or high schools, secondary schools, special schools),
academies, colleges, Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), further education colleges and
universities;
l) Hospices;
m) National Parks;
n) Housing associations, including registered social landlords;
o) Third sector and charities;
p) Citizens advice bodies;
q) Councils, including county councils, district councils, county borough councils,
community councils, London borough councils, unitary councils, metropolitan
councils, parish councils;
r) Public corporations;
s) Public financial bodies or institutions;
t) Public pension funds;
u) Central banks; and
v) Civil service bodies, including public sector buying organisations"
Then there is the Ministry of Defence. On Palantir's own website they state:
Worth £75 million over three years, the partnership will support the MOD's digital transformation as it becomes a world-leading agile force of the future. Spearheaded by Defence Digital and powered by Palantir, the digital transformation will see the MOD treat data as a strategic asset, harnessing its power to deliver superior military advantage and greater efficiency across the enterprise, from headquarters to the front lines.I can only wonder if the £900 million BRITGPT, as reportedly announced by the government might be contracted out, in part at least, to "a scary business".
I will leave you to ponder upon the increasing roles than Palantir is undertaking in NATO governments, and their allies. Hopefully I have done my bit in prompting some further investigation.
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