Ex-investors in Apple's $200 million AI acquisition remain quiet over its rumoured military drone contracts
- After acquiring AI startup Xnor.ai, Apple reportedly scrapped its involvement in the US military's controversial Project Maven, a US Department of Defence program that Google stopped working on last year.
- Business Insider asked former investors, including the Allen Institute for AI and Autotech Ventures, if they were aware of Xnor.ai's rumoured military contracts.
- Reports suggest Maven would give the US military the ability to track and spy on targets without any human involvement.
- Google announced it would leave Project Maven in June 2018 in response to employee protests over the company's entry into "the business of war." The contract officially ended in March.
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Ex-investors in Apple's most recent acquisition hesitated to comment when questioned about the firm's reported military drone contracts.
Apple bought AI startup Xnor.ai for a reported $200 million last month. But the tech giant is said to have terminated the company's role in Project Maven, a highly controversial Pentagon scheme, shortly after, The Information reported.
Project Maven is a military project focused on how machine learning can be used to help drones distinguish between people and objects. These drones could then autonomously track and spy on targets - without any human involvement - on the military's behalf.
Madrona Venture Group, The Allen Institute for AI, and NGP Capital all declined to comment when approached by Business Insider.
Only Alexei Adreev, managing director of ex-backer Autotech Ventures, a VC firm which focuses on the transportation sector, spoke when contacted by Business Insider.
Asked if he was aware of Xnor's reported military contracts, Adreev told Business Insider: "I really don't think we were involved in Project Maven," adding: "I would say 'no'."
Adreev declined to comment further.
In June 2018, Google announced it would not renew its Maven contract, following a wave of complaints from its own employees - with thousands signing a petition demanding an end to its involvement.
Following Google's withdrawal, secretive data analytics company Palantir snapped up the contract, although the firm declined to comment when approached by Business Insider.
Apple and Xnor.ai did not respond to requests for comment.
