Ep 34 - Can AI Win Wars? Inside the US Military’s Project Maven | Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan

In this week's episode, we sit down with Lieutenant General Jack Shanahan, the first director of the Pentagon’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) and former head of Project Maven, to unpack how AI is transforming the battlefield.Project Maven (officially called the Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team) is a project undertaken by the Pentagon starting in 2017, involving using machine learning and data from multiple sources with the aim of identifying potential targets, among other things. The Maven Smart System has been used, among other situations, in the Russia - Ukraine context by the US to help Ukrainian forces.Gen. Shanahan shares what it took to bring AI into the Department of Defense, from fighting bureaucratic inertia to handling mountains of battlefield data. We dive into the Pentagon’s collaboration—and tensions—with private tech firms, the high-stakes AI race between the US and China, and the lessons emerging from Ukraine. We also explore how AI could change cyber warfare forever—and what these shifts mean for the future of global power.If you’re curious about how technology is reshaping war, strategy, and geopolitics, this conversation is for you.Chapters:00:00 The Evolution of the Department of Defense00:52 The Rise of Silicon Valley and the Tech Boom01:33 Challenges in Integrating Tech with Defense02:48 Introduction to the Great Tech Game Podcast05:18 The Big Picture: Post-Cold War Shifts11:18 Project Maven: The AI Revolution in Defense21:33 Data Management Challenges in AI Projects27:32 Collaborating with Private Tech Firms36:08 Purpose and Challenges of AI in Defense36:55 Corporate Collaboration and Ethical Considerations37:52 Impact of Ukraine Conflict on AI Adoption38:22 Emergence of New Defense Primes39:17 Partnerships Between Big and Small Companies40:20 Transforming Government with Silicon Valley Talent44:24 Project Maven's Strategic Impact45:31 Algorithmic Warfare and Human-Machine Integration49:40 Global Use and Future of Project Maven54:58 US-China AI Military Competition01:03:41 China's AI Development and Civil-Military Fusion01:10:05 China's Manufacturing and Technology Growth01:10:48 Autonomous Systems and AI Integration01:11:07 China's Government and Tech Companies01:13:53 India's AI and Military Technology01:15:31 Challenges and Opportunities in India01:19:15 AI in Cyber Defense and Offense01:22:42 Private Tech Firms vs. Nation States01:31:08 Future of Industrial Policy and National Security01:36:08 Book and Podcast Recommendations#thegreattechgame #tgtgpodcast #anirudhsuri #jackshanahan #militarytechnology #projectmaven #dod #departmentofdefense #military #geopolitics #defenseinnovation #siliconvalley #uschina #indiaai #usmilitary #thegreattechgamepodcast