Over the last few years, geopolitical uncertainties have continued to rise, reaching unprecedented levels of volatility and complexity. This has caused a significant impact on global markets, diplomatic relations, and strategic policymaking.A major impact of this uncertainty can also be seen in countries around the world, which are increasing their military spending for the 10th consecutive year to prepare for any eventualities.According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), global defense spending in 2024 reached $2.46 trillion, up from $2.24 trillion in the previous year. 2023's defense spending was stated as the “steepest year-on-year rise since 2009” and the most ever recorded by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).Now, as a result of last year's jump, global defense spending spiked to an average of 1.9% of GDP last year, up from 1.8% in 2023 and 1.6% in the year before that.The budgets of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Asia, and Europe recorded a significant increase in response to escalating geopolitical conflicts, rising threat perceptions, and deteriorating security environments.Still, the United States remains the world's largest military spender, at around $968 billion, and no one comes close. When it comes to the defense budget for NATO members, the US is followed by Germany at $86 billion, the UK at $81.1 billion, and France at $64 billion.Meanwhile, Asian defense budgets continued to grow at a moderate pace, the same as in the last decade. Japan and Indonesia, in particular, had significant uplifts, but despite that, the region's share of global spending fell from 25.9% in 2021 to 21.7% in 2024 due to stronger uplifts in other regions.However, China's defense budget surged by 7.4% in real terms, outpacing the 3.9% average rate for the rest of the region as the nation modernizes its military. One way this modernization is happening is with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), which is being used to reshape military decision-making.Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made military AI a top strategic priority, and as a result, the People's Liberation Army has invested heavily in scaling up AI.The Rising Trend of AI in MilitaryBy simulating human intelligence processes in computer systems, AI makes machines capable of performing tasks such as learning, problem-solving, and decision-making

Scout AI has emerged from stealth with a $15M seed round led by Align Ventures and Booz Allen Ventures. The company has secured two DoD contracts and unveiled Fury, a Vision-Language-Action foundation model for defense robotics. Fury enables robots to perceive, reason, and act autonomously across various environments. Scout's prototypes, G01 and A01, are already operational. The company aims to integrate Fury into existing platforms, enhancing autonomy without hardware overhauls.