According to a report from Reuters, a recently signed contract reveals that the United States Navy has signed a contract worth about $100 million with an artificial intelligence (AI) company based in California. The company’s product can train drones to search for underwater mines.
The deal between the Navy and the San Francisco-based AI company, Domino Data Lab, comes at a time when the Navy is prioritizing the development of underwater mine sweeping technology to address the threat posed by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
The software developed by the company can teach underwater drones to identify new types of mines in just a few days, speeding up the mine clearance process.
Before the company’s intervention, updating the artificial intelligence models supporting the operation of Navy’s underwater drones to recognize new or previously unseen mines could take up to six months. Domino stated that they have shortened this update cycle to just a few days.
Thomas Robinson, Chief Operating Officer of Domino, mentioned in an interview with Reuters that traditionally mine sweeping was a job for ships. Now, it is gradually becoming a job for artificial intelligence. The Navy is paying for this platform, which allows them to train, manage, and deploy artificial intelligence at the speed required to address controversial waters that impede global trade and jeopardize the safety of Navy personnel.
This contract is part of the United States Navy’s AMMO program, which aims to detect underwater mines faster and more accurately while ensuring the safety of Navy personnel and expensive vessels.
Iran has claimed to have deployed mines in the Strait of Hormuz to threaten passing ships and collect “tolls” from them. President Trump called this extortion on a global scale. Trump also stated that the US Navy is clearing Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
As the Navy announced the contract signing with Domino, the Pentagon declared on Friday (May 1st) that it had reached agreements with seven globally leading artificial intelligence companies. These companies’ advanced AI technologies will be deployed into the confidential networks of the Department of Defense for legally authorized combat operations. The Department of Defense mentioned that supporting warfighters with advanced AI technology will help the US military tackle “unprecedented emerging threats.”