- Eric Schmidt's AI drone company is trying to poach talent from Apple, SpaceX, and Google, according to Forbes.
- The venture was recently renamed “Project Eagle,” Forbes reported.
- According to the media, the company is testing drones in Silicon Valley and Ukraine.
Eric Schmidt's AI-powered military drone venture is quietly getting more armed.
Forbes magazine reports that the former Google CEO's secretive company has poached about a dozen employees from companies like Apple, SpaceX and Google over the past few months.
The company aims to develop drones that use AI to accurately attack targets.
According to Forbes, the company has also sourced key candidates from the federal government and Schmidt's own nonprofit, Schmidt Futures.
A representative for Schmidt declined to comment.
Schmidt has been quietly building the venture, which was first announced by Forbes magazine as being called White Stork, but was later renamed Project Eagle, the magazine reported.
Forbes reports that the company is testing AI-guided drones both at Schmidt's family office, Hillspire, in Silicon Valley, and in Ukraine, where Schmidt has visited multiple times.
Schmidt has been open about his belief that AI has the potential to revolutionize modern warfare.
In April, he penned an op-ed urging Congress to approve a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine.
Military and AI are long-standing passions for the tech mogul.
After leaving Google, Schmidt served as chairman of both the Department of Defense's Innovation Board and the National Security Board on Artificial Intelligence.
AI Enters the Battlefield
While it may have once seemed like science fiction, AI is already impacting modern warfare.
Israel has reportedly used AI to identify targets for attack during its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Some experts believe AI could revolutionize wartime decision-making and reduce the costs of simulating war games that allow military leaders to strategize what might happen in future conflicts.
But others have warned against the rapid adoption of AI in warfare, questioning whether legal and ethical considerations are moving fast enough to rein it in.
