This article is published in Aerospace Daily & Defense Report part of Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), and is complimentary through Mar 11, 2026. For information on becoming an AWIN Member to access more content like this, click here.
A model of Shield AI's X-BAT at the Singapore Airshow.
SINGAPORE—The adoption of artificial intelligence will by 2030 have moved from an ambition to a reality, industry officials said here at the Singapore Airshow.
“In 2030 I think we won't be having a discussion like today, where autonomy is something that we want to add on. I think autonomy and AI will just be baseline,” said Jason Levin, Anduril's senior vice president for engineering. “And I think the people that don't realize that are going to get left behind,” he said during an autonomy panel on Feb. 4 at the Singapore Airshow.
Shield AI President Brandon Tseng was even more bullish. “I think by 2030 the top 25 militaries in the world will have announced that they're building 1 million-plus drone armies,” he said at the event.
Absent the adoption of artificial intelligence technology, deploying forces at that scale would not be possible, he argued. “You can field 20 million drones. You can't build 20 million drone pilots. You need those AI pilots to unlock that capability.”
Thales Chief Technology Officer Bernhard Quendt said the adoption of AI technology has already started and will only accelerate. In 2030, the issue will be more that new disruptive technologies like quantum will start to appear.
Related Content
