According to sources familiar with the matter, Musk's space exploration company SpaceX and its wholly-owned subsidiary xAI are participating in a secretive new competition at the Pentagon to develop voice-controlled autonomous drone swarm technology. In early February, Musk announced the merger of the two companies, marking a highly controversial new direction in entering the field of AI-driven weapons development. Previously, Musk had opposed the creation of 'new tools for killing.' SpaceX and xAI are among the few companies selected for the $100 million challenge launched in January, and their participation had not been previously reported.
