Project Maven (officially the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team) is an artificial intelligence initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2017 to apply machine learning and computer vision to the automated analysis of vast amounts of drone footage and satellite imagery. The system detects, tracks and classifies objects (e.g. vehicles, people), relieving intelligence analysts. The project drew controversy in 2018 when Google employees protested the company’s involvement. Since 2022 responsibility for the program has been held by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), with companies such as Palantir involved in its development. Maven is one of the best-known examples of operational AI use in defense.
