Autonomy for the World: Indoor Exploration with Nova 2

At Shield AI, our mission to develop intelligent, autonomous systems extends across diverse applications, from contested airspaces to intricate indoor environments. The first platform we flew our Hivemind Pilot on is the Nova series of quadcopters—compact, highly capable drones designed for indoor exploration, mapping, and reconnaissance in GNSS-denied environments. Nova quadcopters have been deployed in […]

Autonomy for the World: MQM-178 Firejet

At Shield AI, we’re pushing the limits of human-machine collaboration, advancing Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACPs) to work seamlessly with piloted aircraft. Our recent tests with jet-powered drones demonstrated autonomous formation flying and tactical maneuvers, laying the groundwork for integrated operations between crewed and uncrewed systems—an essential step for the future of multi-domain air dominance.  In […]

2024: A Year of Mission Impact at Shield AI

Dear Team,  As we close out 2024, I want to reflect on what has truly defined this year: the mission impact we’ve achieved and the incredible feedback from our customers. Whether it was during shipboard operations with V-BAT—hearing “You all saved our asses; we thought we were going to have to do that mission with […]

Work at Shield AI, Build Autonomy for Jets… and Maybe Even Fly in One! 

Working at the intersection of cutting-edge AI, autonomy, and robotics in a fast-paced, rapidly growing tech company is an engineer’s dream come true. Solving the most challenging engineering problems on a mission that matters, there are only a handful of companies in the world that offer such a rare combination. Tesla and SpaceX come to […]

AI Engineering and the Ethics of War

Jim Carlson is Shield AI’s General Counsel. Previously he was a software engineer, product manager, entrepreneur, and Marine Corps attack helicopter pilot having completed 100+ combat flights. He holds a JD, MBA, and BA from Stanford University.   My eight-year-old daughter’s favorite movie is Top Gun 2: Maverick. I’m not sure if her love for the […]

8th Birthday Message

To the Shield AI Team:  Happy 8th Birthday Shield AI! This is for our teammates, customer champions, and investors.  When I was trying to figure out what I wanted to pursue after the Navy, I remember Elon Musk saying, “I always wanted to be involved with something that could have a positive effect on the […]

It’s All Systems Go at Shield AI’s Texas Unified Facility

Historically speaking, the terms “aesthetic” and “production facility” are just about as asynchronous as you can get. Any mention of the manufacturing sector typically evokes gloomy images of billowing smog and the deafening roar of machinery — not exactly conducive to the type of collaborative initiatives necessitated by the evolving demands of the modern market. […]

A Quarter-Million Hours & Counting: Shield AI’s Seasoned Flight Operations Professionals

Shield AI aircraft operator Toby Stewart waits for a V-BAT to return to USS Arleigh Burke’s (DDG 51) flight deck while underway in the Irish Sea.   From training, production flight testing, and demonstrations to deployed operations and engineering flight testing, Shield AI’s Flight Operations Team does it all. We recently sat down with three flight […]

Mission First, People Always

father daughter baseball field

During my more-than-20-year career as human resources leader, I have learned that a meaningful, impactful mission is one of the greatest offerings an organization can make to their prospective and current employees. I think of it as “purpose over perks,” and Shield AI offers more purpose to its workforce than any other company I’ve encountered.    […]