Palantir CEO says AI gives U.S. critical edge in modern warfare as Middle East conflict escalates

Palantir's technology gives the West a critical edge in Middle East, CEO Alex Karp says

Palantir CEO Alex Karp told CNBC on Thursday that artificial intelligence is giving the U.S. and its allies an edge in the escalating conflict in Iran and across the Middle East. "What makes America special right now is our lethal capacities, our ability to fight war," Karp said at Palantir's AIPcon 9 in Maryland. He added that another major advantage is that "the AI revolution is uniquely American." Karp alluded to his company's ability to link combat data between the U.S. and Middle East partners that were hit by Iranian airstrikes. "If you were attacked and you needed to coordinate, you would have to have a coordinating function. There's only one product that can actually do that for security," Karp said, referencing Palantir's platform. Palantir's Project Maven is a real-time AI surveillance capability that leverages satellite imagery. The platform was used with Anthropic's Claude in the capture of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, according to the Wall Street Journal. Karp declined to comment on whether Maven was used to kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israel military operation two weeks ago. "I have read that Palantir's Project Maven is the core backbone of that," he said, speaking generally about U.S. involvement in the Middle East. "And then I've also read that all the allies, Arab and non-Arab in the Middle East, may or may not be users of our platform as well, and that's expanding rapidly." Experts and executives in the industry say AI is pushing the conflict to a new frontier. That was evident when Iran bombed three Amazon data centers in the Middle East last week. U.S. data centers are increasingly seen as national security assets, hosting critical digital infrastructure used by governments and big companies. "They're evil, they're not stupid," Karp said. "Look who's on the list, look who's not. We're in the middle of war. You would expect it to be a list of hardcore military companies. They are interested in the things they can't produce." While Palantir may be best known for its defense technology, the company's commercial business is booming. U.S. commercial revenue jumped 137% in the fourth quarter to $507 million.

Palantir CEO Insists He Doesn't Support Regime Change Wars (But Supports Iran War)

"No one believes it, but Palantir is the most important protector of the Fourth Amendment..." said Alex Karp. Palantir CEO Alex Karp appeared on CNBC on Thursday, where he was asked about the Iran War, the Pentagon's battle against Anthropic, and American technological supremacy against adversaries like China. Karp seemed frustrated that he couldn't take more credit for the continued war being waged in Iran and made it clear that he supports President Donald Trump's efforts. At least 1,300 people have died, and 9,000 have been injured in Iran so far, according to the United Nations. Karp also insisted that he doesn't believe in regime change wars, a seeming contradiction when you remember that Iran's Supreme Leader and most of its leadership were assassinated in the early days of the war. "You know, I've read in the papers that we are able to engage and fight war in the way we haven't been able to in the past, that we've regained our deterrent capabilities," Karp said. Karp referred to reading about things "in the papers," presumably because he can't discuss non-public information that he's privy to as a defense contractor with a high-level security clearance. Karp continued by praising "the men and women on the front line that deserve most of the credit" before segueing into his clear desire to take credit for America's "resources" that have "shifted the way in which war is fought." Those resources include Palantir's Project Maven, an AI-powered targeting system used by the U.S. military. "I've also read that all the allies, Arab and non-Arab in the Middle East, may or may not be users of our platform as well, and that's expanding rapidly," Karp said, presumably trying to brag about Israel's use of his company's technology. Israel has been bombing not just Iran but also Lebanon since the start of the current war on Feb. 28. "I think the most important thing, leaving aside the heroism of our troops, which is the most important thing, is our adversaries and enemies are witnessing an ability to fight that they don't have," said Karp. The Palantir CEO seemed desperate to say more and take credit for how his company was helping fight the war in Iran. But he also tried to claim that he was against regime-change wars. Karp claimed that the U.S. is the center of the AI revolution and said, "I've read we're at the core of everything," again trying to brag about Palantir through a means that provides some distance. It all recalls how Trump might brag, "some people are saying" before giving himself compliments as the greatest president to ever live, for various reasons. The CNBC reporter tried to specifically talk about what Project Maven did, explaining to viewers that it was used to target Iran's Supreme Leader. But again, Karp seemed frustrated by his inability to confirm that detail, likely because it's all classified intel, saying that he "can't go into specifics." Every time there was a moment where Karp was asked something specific, he did his best to take credit without taking credit. But it all came off as tremendously awkward. CNBC: So Palantir is working with our allies in the Middle East that are currently being attacked by Iran? Karp: Well, if you were attacked and you needed to coordinate, you would have to have a coordinating function. There's only one product that can actually do that for security. And that has to do with how we pipeline and do things in Foundry. So the short answer is, without answering your question, were this to work, there's only one way you can do it. Karp was also asked about Anthropic and the Pentagon's attempted corporate murder of the AI company. "Given that the Department of Defense has blacklisted Anthropic, is Palantir still using Claude?" the CNBC journalist asked. Karp said he "can't go into specifics" but that Palantir's tech will likely be "integrated with other large language models because of this dispute." Maven is currently integrated with Claude, but President Trump has said the Department of Defense needs to stop using Anthropic within the next six months. Anthropic said it couldn't agree to the Pentagon's terms because it didn't want to drop guardrails that prohibit using Claude for domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. With that context, Karp told CNBC that Palantir actually believes in the Fourth Amendment, which is about privacy. "No one believes it, but Palantir is the most important protector of the Fourth Amendment... or Fourth Amendment, meaning the right of privacy, in this country because of the way our product works. And I'm deeply committed to that, as are most Americans," Karp said. "The Fourth Amendment does not apply to adversaries on the battlefield." Karp also praised the AI revolution and Silicon Valley's participation in war while attempting to position it as a political battle between women on one side and men on the other. The CEO insisted that there's been a shift in Silicon Valley where tech leaders were previously hesitant to support the military but are now doing so, implying that it was because they've moved away from a women-centric Democratic Party. "If you are going to disrupt the economic and, therefore, political power significantly of one party's base, highly educated, often female voters who vote mostly Democrat, and military and working-class people who do not feel supported, and you feel like that's...you believe that that's going to work out politically, you're in an insane asylum," said Karp. "This technology disrupts humanities-trained, largely Democratic voters, and makes their economic power less, and increases the power, economic power, of vocationally trained, working-class, often male voters. And so these disruptions are going to disrupt every aspect of our society." Karp went on to say that there was a need to explain to people who are going to have "less good jobs, from their perspective," how AI would actually be good. Karp then essentially said the explanation was that AI helped the military, which "helped our ability to be American in the near term." He did not elaborate on how simply being American would help these Democratic and female voters if they were going to be thrown out of their white-collar jobs in the long term.

Palantir CEO Alex Karp Says AI Is Reshaping Modern Warfare As Iran War Escalates: 'There's Only One Product...' - Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR)

On Thursday, Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) CEO Alex Karp said that artificial intelligence is giving the U.S. and its allies a strategic edge as tensions rise across the Middle East amid the escalating Iran conflict. AI Giving US A Strategic Edge In Modern Warfare Speaking with CNBC, Karp said that AI is increasingly shaping the balance of power on the battlefield. He argued that the U.S. and its allies hold an advantage because of their technological capabilities. Karp was speaking during the company's AIPcon 9 event in Maryland. He said the U.S.'s strength comes not only from its military capabilities but also from its leadership in AI. "What makes America special right now is our lethal capabilities, our ability to fight war," Karp said. He added that another critical advantage is that "the AI revolution is uniquely American." Palantir Platform Helps Coordinate Military Data Karp also pointed to Palantir's technology as a key tool for coordinating intelligence and operational data among allied nations. Referring to the need for real-time coordination during attacks, Karp said countries facing threats require a system capable of connecting information across partners. "If you were attacked and you needed to coordinate, you would have to have a coordinating function," he said. Referring to Palantir's platform, he said, "There's only one product that can actually do that for security." Project Maven And AI Surveillance Capabilities One of the company's most prominent defense technologies, Project Maven, analyzes satellite imagery and other data sources in real time using AI. Karp declined to confirm whether the platform was used in a reported U.S.-Israel operation targeting Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying only that he had read reports describing the system as a "core backbone" for such operations. Data Centers Emerging As Strategic Targets Karp suggested the attacks reflect how adversaries increasingly view technology infrastructure as a critical component of modern conflict. "They're evil, they're not st**id," he said. "They are interested in the things they can't produce." Beyond defense, Palantir's commercial business is expanding rapidly. Last month, Palantir posted fourth-quarter revenue of $1.41 billion, surpassing analyst expectations of $1.33 billion. The AI software firm also reported adjusted earnings of 25 cents per share, topping forecasts of 23 cents per share. Price Action: Shares of Palantir closed at $153.50 on Thursday, up 1.25%. It slipped 0.88% to $152.15 in premarket trading, according to Benzinga Pro. According to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, Palantir shares are showing a downward trend across the short, medium and long-term, although the company's Growth score ranks in the 97th percentile. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo courtesy: Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.