Why Speed, Not Size, Will Define the Next War
As global tensions rise, AI and autonomy are transforming how nations prepare for conflict.
In this episode, Horacio Rozanski, CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton and Gary Steele, CEO of Shield AI join Erik Torenberg to discuss how technology, speed, and public–private partnerships are reshaping America’s defense strategy.
They cover lessons from Ukraine and Taiwan, the rise of autonomous systems, and why the future of warfare will be defined by software, agility, and innovation.
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Robots in the skies (and they use Transformer models)
Ryan welcomes Nathan Michael, CTO at Shield AI, to discuss what AI looks like in defense technologies, both technically and ethically. They cover how the Hivemind technology works in coordinating the autonomous decisions of drones in the field while keeping humans in the loop, whether Shield AI is building Terminators, and how software security works on an edge device that could fall into enemy hands.
Episode notes:
Shield AI produces Hivemind, a resilient autonomy platform intended to protect service members and civilians.
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The Future of Drone Warfare
War has always been shaped by technology—from steel and gunpowder to GPS and nuclear weapons. But the decisive technologies of tomorrow aren’t coming—they’re already here.
In this episode, recorded live at our third annual American Dynamism Summit, a16z’s Senior National Security Advisor Matt Cronin sits down with Ryan Tseng (cofounder & CEO, Shield AI) and Adam Bry (cofounder & CEO, Skydio) to discuss the rise of autonomous drones, AI-driven warfare, and the escalating great power competition with China. They cover:
Why drones are reshaping the battlefield in Ukraine, Israel, and beyond
The asymmetry of $1,000 drones taking out $10M tanks
Why U.S. drone production lags China—and how to catch up
The ethical and tactical implications of autonomy in combat
What it will take to reindustrialize America and maintain deterrence
If the future of warfare is software-defined, who writes that software—and who deploys it first—matters more than ever.
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#226 Nathan Michael: The Future of AI-Powered Drones and Autonomous Warfare (with Shield AI)
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In this episode of the Eye on AI podcast, we explore the cutting-edge world of AI-powered autonomy with Nathan Michael, CTO of Shield AI.
Nathan shares his journey from academia to leading one of the most innovative companies in defense technology, revealing how Shield AI is transforming autonomous systems to operate in the most challenging environments.
Throughout the episode, Nathan dives into Shield AI's groundbreaking technologies, including the revolutionary Hivemind platform, which enables drones and uncrewed jets to think, adapt, and act independently—even in GPS-denied and communication-jammed conditions. He explains how these systems are deployed across defense and commercial applications, reshaping intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with unprecedented precision and resilience.
We also discuss the future of warfare and technology, from the commoditization of AI-driven autonomy to the ethical and strategic considerations of deploying these systems at scale. Nathan offers insights into how rapid iteration cycles and resilient intelligence will define the next era of defense innovation, ensuring mission success in increasingly complex scenarios.
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(00:00) Introduction to Shield AI and Hivemind
(03:02) Nathan Michael's journey to Shield AI
(06:07) Shield AI's mission and technology overview
(10:18) VBAT: A versatile tail-sitter aircraft
(12:44) Hivemind's swarm capabilities and applications
(14:32) Ethics and societal guardrails for autonomous systems
(17:24) Combat applications of quadcopters
(19:12) Navigating and mapping unknown environments
(20:38) Use of VBAT in Ukraine operations
(22:10) Intelligence gathering and mission versatility
(24:42) Transforming warfare with AI-driven autonomy
(28:47) Teaming and communication in autonomous swarms
(32:29) Communication networks in jammed conditions
(35:34) Coordinated exploration with autonomous systems
(38:13) Exploring buildings with quadcopter teams
(40:57) Crewed-uncrewed teaming in modern combat
(43:28) Global competition in AI and autonomy
(46:03) Use of autonomous drones in Ukraine
(50:28) Shield AI's vision: Proliferation of resilient intelligence
(55:26) Expanding AI autonomy to commercial applications
a16z Podcast: Autonomy in Service
with Gregory Allen (@Gregory_C_Allen), Gayle Lemmon (@gaylelemmon), Ryan Tseng, and Hanne Tidnam (@omnivorousread)
We now live in a world where connecting the dots between intel and modeling threats has become infinitely more complex: not only is the surface area to protect larger than ever, but the entry points and issues are more diverse than ever. This conversation, with Gregory Allen, a Fellow at the Center for a New American Security and co-author of the Belfer Center report on AI and National Security; Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Chief Marketing Officer of Shield AI and the author of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana and Ashley's War; Ryan Tseng, CEO and Co-founder of Shield AI; and a16z’s Hanne Tidnam, considers AI and automation in the context of national security.
Given the nature of today's conflict situations — which are over the last few decades increasingly in urban environments, in counterinsurgency operations, and often in ‘boots on the ground’ environments where it is very difficult for service to distinguish between civilians and combatants — how can new autonomous technologies actually improve how we protect the lives of servicemen and women on the ground? How might they enhance critical human decision making moment to moment, to save more lives? And more broadly, how is AI shifting national security power dynamics around the globe?
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This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments and certain publicly traded cryptocurrencies/ digital assets for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly) is available at https://a16z.com/investments/.
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