Boeing-SparkCognition joint venture SkyGrid deploys AI to protect drones

SkyGrid, a Boeing-SparkCognition joint venture, has launched the world’s first AI-powered security for drones.

Drones are being used for increasingly critical purposes, including carrying vital medical supplies. Security is paramount to build the trust necessary to unlock the full potential of the emerging industry.

Amir Husain, CEO and founder of SparkCognition and SkyGrid, said:

“In the near future, we’ll essentially have a network of flying computers in the sky, and just like the computers we use today, drones can be hacked if not secured properly.

In this emerging environment, traditional anti-malware technology won’t be adequate to detect these never-before-seen attacks. SkyGrid is taking a new, intelligent approach by using AI to more accurately detect and prevent cyberattacks from impacting a drone, a payload, or a ground station.”

SkyGrid is equipped with SparkCognition’s DeepArmor, which promises far more advanced security than traditional anti-malware detection. AI models are trained “on the DNA of malicious files” rather than detecting signatures relating to known threats.

Sridhar Sudarsan, Chief Technology Officer at SparkCognition, comments:

“We leveraged cutting-edge AI research and technology to build the DeepArmor product, which allows it to protect endpoints against 99.9% of never-before-seen threats.

In addition, the product’s uniqueness lies in its ability to provide top-rate endpoint protection on the lowest footprint with minimal interference – all in varying degrees of connectivity. This is the true overarching security differentiator from which SkyGrid’s customers will see value.”

DeepArmour can be deployed directly on drones to function at the edge for when network connectivity is limited or even nonexistent.

SparkCognition also recently added DeepArmor Industrial to its offerings, a solution built in collaboration with Siemens Energy to protect operational technology assets across the energy value chain.

(Source: AI News https://artificialintelligence-news.com/2021/01/20/boeing-sparkcognition-joint-venture-skygrid-deploys-ai-protect-drones/ )