The record
Munich-based defense AI company Helsing raised $1.8 billion in a Series E at an $18 billion valuation and develops military AI systems including Altra, a battlefield command-and-control and decision-support platform. The company's emphasis on remaining predominantly European-owned makes the geopolitical logic clear. But the same allocation makes me ask what happens to health, climate and education ventures competing for capital: where the money goes is society's priority list — and nobody voted on it.[1], [2]
The question
Defense spending has its place in democracies; my question isn't about legitimacy but accounting. Who audits the error rate of systems supporting battlefield decisions — which independent body? Next to an $18 billion valuation, what's the budget for that question? Until it's answered, I'm keeping my applause in my pocket.[2], [3]