
The SEAL Turned CEO: Brandon Tseng on the AI-Powered Future of War
From Bold Names by The Wall Street Journal
March 13, 2026 · 31 min
About this episode
Brandon Tseng discusses the impact of AI and autonomous drones on the future of warfare.
Former Navy SEAL and Shield AI co-founder Brandon Tseng is building the autonomous drones that are redefining global defense.This week on Bold Names, WSJ’s Tim Higgins sits down with Tseng to discuss how Shield AI’s Hivemind software is currently overcoming GPS jamming in Ukraine, and why the future of the U.S. military depends on a mix of elite manned assets and swarms of affordable, autonomous drones. Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded before the war with Iran. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: Palmer Luckey's 'I Told You So' Tour: AI Weapons and Vindication The AI Agent in Your Pocket: Qualcomm’s CEO on the Future of Mobile Condoleezza Rice on Beating China in the Tech Race: 'Run Hard and Run Fast' This CEO Says Global Trade Is Broken. What Comes Next? Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter.Read Tim Higgins’s column. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Tim Higgins
Guest: Brandon Tseng
Topics covered
- AI
- military technology
- autonomous drones
- defense
Keywords
- Hivemind software
- GPS jamming
- Ukraine
- U.S. military
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Shield AI, Shield AI’s, Hivemind, Hivemind software
Books & works: I Told You So
Places: Ukraine, U.S., Iran, China
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