AI robot startup challenging future of warfare

A U.S. robotics startup is drawing global attention with plans to develop humanoid robots capable of performing industrial work today—and potentially military missions in the future—fueling a growing debate over the role of artificial intelligence in warfare.

San Francisco-based Foundation Future Industries, founded in 2024, is developing AI-powered humanoid robots for factory automation, logistics and infrastructure projects. But it is the company's defence ambitions that have generated the greatest controversy, The Independent writes.

Foundation argues that humanoid robots could eventually make military operations more precise while reducing risks to soldiers and civilians. Critics, however, warn that autonomous weapons raise profound ethical, legal and security concerns.

The debate comes as governments around the world increasingly invest in AI-driven defence technologies, while international organisations continue to push for stricter regulation of autonomous weapons.

Defence ambitions spark controversy

Foundation co-founder Sankaet Pathak dismissed concerns surrounding military robots, arguing that technological advances are already reshaping modern warfare.

"I really don’t understand how that doesn’t make sense to people," Pathak told The Independent.

He also criticised comparisons between armed humanoid robots and weapons of mass destruction.

"It is so backwards that people in the Western world somehow have this disease of thinking that humanoid robots holding a gun is like as bad as a nuclear weapon," he said.

Pathak said defence projects currently represent only a small part of the company's overall business, which remains focused primarily on industrial automation.

According to The Independent, Foundation has secured defence-related contracts reportedly worth around $24 million to test its technology across several branches of the U.S. military. The company has also held discussions with the Department of Homeland Security about potential border security applications, although no deployment has been announced.

Foundation has denied receiving any preferential treatment despite investment from Eric Trump, who serves as an adviser but, according to both the company and his spokesperson, has no role in day-to-day management or government contracting.

Phantom robot designed for multiple roles

At the centre of Foundation's technology is Phantom, a six-foot-tall humanoid robot capable of carrying nearly 90 pounds. Equipped with artificial intelligence and a 360-degree camera system, the robot can either operate autonomously or be remotely controlled by a human operator.

According to The Independent, Phantom has already been tested in manufacturing and logistics facilities in the United States and Singapore, with Reuters reporting that the robots assisted in producing more than 24,000 vehicles last year.

For military customers, Foundation is currently focusing on non-combat tasks such as transporting cargo and conducting reconnaissance missions.

"Today, no one has asked us to weaponise them," Pathak said.

However, he acknowledged the company would consider doing so if requested by the U.S. military.

"If essentially the [U.S.] military tells us tomorrow, ‘Hey, we need these humanoids with guns,’ it almost 100 per cent points to the fact that they’re trying to be more precise, and we would want to do that versus not," he added.

Experts warn of growing risks

Human rights organisations remain deeply concerned about the rapid pace of military AI development.

Verity Coyle, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Crisis, Conflict and Arms Division, told The Independent that while robotics could support humanitarian operations during conflicts, governments and technology companies are moving too quickly without sufficient safeguards.

She warned that increasingly autonomous military systems could make targeting mistakes, become harder to regulate and accelerate the pace of conflict.

"I don’t think an arms race has ever particularly served civilians well," Coyle said.

Joe Costa, former director of the Forward Defence practice at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Centre for Strategy and Security, also warned that replacing soldiers with machines could fundamentally change political calculations surrounding war.

"In a world where you have humanoid robots, you don't have to send a human actually into battle," he told The Independent. "That very conceivably means you could have a bunch of robots invade a country or a city and it comes at less political cost to a nation."

International regulation of autonomous weapons remains limited despite growing concern from organisations including the United Nations, whose Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly called for legal restrictions on so-called "killer robots."

By Sabina Mammadli