U.S. Military Deploying AI-Enabled Battlefield Tech To Aid Hurricane Helene Cleanup

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In the wake of a disaster that caused over $40 billion in direct property damage and left more than 220 dead at last count, the U.S. military has deployed a battlefield capability to aid in Hurricane Helene cleanup efforts.

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Last week, Defense News reported that the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps is using the Maven Smart System to assist FEMA responders in mapping road closures, cellular outages, and supply needs in areas affected by Hurricane Helene.

The mysterious Maven Smart System is an AI-powered platform developed by Palantir that pools data from satellites, social media, and other sources into a user-friendly interface for military planners. The project was originally developed under contract by Google, but was transferred to Palantir after Google employees protested working on a project that could potentially have application in lethal warfare. Prior to Maven’s deployment in domestic disaster zones, the machine learning technology was used to help identify Russian military preparations through satellite imagery and ultimately anticipate the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and was more recently used as an aid for Ukrainian troops in algorithmically identifying battlefield targets through drone footage, social media posts, and geolocated cell phone data.

Now the U.S. military will use Maven for Helene disaster relief, synthesizing vast, varied streams of information to identify food, water, and medical needs in impacted areas. While use applications for the burgeoning technology are still in their infancy, the Pentagon recently awarded Palantir a new $480 million contract to further develop the Maven Smart System prototype, aiming to expand its usership from hundreds of military personnel to thousands. The recent development showcases the growing prevalence of AI in disaster preparedness and response, as well as the increased role of the Department of Defense in climate hazard mitigation.