Stanford Seminar - Silicon Valley & The U.S. Government: Shield AI’s Brandon Tseng

11 Jul 2024 (5 months ago)

Brandon's Inspiration

Brandon was inspired to become a Navy SEAL after watching movies like "The Rock" and "Under Siege" as a child.
He was further inspired by the upperclassmen and leaders at the Naval Academy to serve his country.
His father's entrepreneurial journey and the success of his brother's company after college also motivated him.
Reading about AI and business leaders like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who focused on solving important problems for humanity, further inspired him.
His experiences in the SEAL Teams, particularly interacting with gold star families, motivated him to make a positive impact on the world at scale.

Shield AI was founded in 2015 by Brandon and his brother to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
A pivotal moment for Shield AI was securing their first contract with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), which led to successful fundraising and further growth.
In 2021, the company made two strategic acquisitions, Martin UAV and Heron Systems, to overcome challenges in the defense acquisition system and achieve scaled sales.
Lessons learned during the company's growth include the importance of both formal acquisition processes and intimate customer feedback for building successful defense products.

The human operator sets the overall mission intent, while the AI system executes it and adjusts based on changing conditions.
Humans play a vital role in course adjustments and where behaviors or tactics have not yet been developed.
Human intuition is crucial in AI-assisted military operations, as demonstrated by the ability of human operators to identify potential threats like booby traps that computer vision models may miss.
Shield AI's policy ensures that a human is always in the loop when it comes to employing lethal effects on the battlefield, as the company believes that making such decisions is fundamentally a human responsibility.

The US, its allies, and other nations are shifting their military focus from expensive fighter jets and large drones to smaller, more affordable drones that can be deployed in large numbers.
This shift towards "intelligent affordable mass" is made possible by AI and autonomy, which allow for precise maneuvering of these drones on the battlefield.
Smaller countries can now have a significant impact on global security and stability by adopting AI-powered drones, potentially challenging the current balance of power.

Russia's use of electronic warfare in Ukraine has highlighted the vulnerability of GPS- and communication-dependent aircraft and missile systems, leading to the loss of numerous drones.
AI-powered autonomous drones, which do not rely on GPS or communication, offer a solution to this challenge and can maintain air power even in environments where these signals are disrupted.
The speaker highlights the challenges faced by Special Operations Command (SOCOM) in balancing surgical precision with the need for mass and budget.
The speaker emphasizes the critical need for the US to maintain its lead in software and AI development while addressing the significant gap in industrial capacity compared to China.
The speaker stresses the importance of mobilizing the US industrial base to deter conflict and highlights efforts by organizations like DIU and Replicator.

Entrepreneurs should be prepared for the challenges and difficulties of entrepreneurship, comparing it to the demanding life of a Navy SEAL.
Entrepreneurs should have a clear purpose and be willing to embrace failure as part of the journey.
It's important to have a positive impact and pursue meaningful goals, even if there's a chance of failure.
Teamwork and the contributions of many individuals are essential for achieving success.

The vision for Shield AI in five years is to accomplish the mission at increasing levels of scale, with thousands of AI pilots flying aircraft and protecting service members and civilians using artificially intelligent systems.