Unanimous AI Selected for Air Force Funding to Build Hyperchat AI™ Technology Into Microsoft Teams® to Optimize Collaboration
ARLINGTON, Va. – Today, Unanimous AI announced it has been selected for a Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contract with AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory.
The funding of up to $1M will be used to support a software development effort to incorporate Unanimous’ Hyperchat AI™ technology into Microsoft Teams® in order to optimize large-scale communication, collaboration, and collective intelligence across very large organizations.
Modeled on the biological principle of swarm intelligence, Hyperchat AI™ employs a swarm® of AI agents that enable large, networked teams (20 to 250 members) to hold productive real-time conversations by text, voice, or video conference. Using this patented agentic technology, teams of unprecedented size can collaborate conversationally in real-time to share information, assess risks, debate alternatives, brainstorm ideas, prioritize options, and converge on optimized solutions.
Despite advancements in real-time messaging and video-conferencing over the last decade, productive conversations generally fall apart in groups larger than 8 to 10 people. Hyperchat AI overcomes this longstanding problem to enable groups of potentially any size to engage in productive real-time discussions that leverage their combined knowledge, wisdom, and insight.
Hyperchat AI technology has been validated through a series of rigorous studies performed with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. These studies show that real-time conversations using Hyperchat AI technology makes large teams more effective and efficient, and significantly amplifies the accuracy and intelligence of the conclusions reached.
Hyperchat technology is currently available in a cloud-based platform from Unanimous AI called Thinkscape® that is already being used by large corporations and organizations around the world. Now, by integrating the technology directly into Microsoft Teams, Hyperchat AI will be accessible at scale across the US Air Force.
“While most AI companies are rushing to replace people, Unanimous AI has spent years optimizing how AI can weave human teams into superintelligent systems,” said Dr. Louis Rosenberg, CEO and Chief Scientist of Unanimous AI. “Our new Hyperchat AI™ technology uses a swarm® of AI agents to optimally interconnect large teams through natural real-time discussions, debates, brainstorms and deliberations, leading to smarter, faster, and more accurate outcomes.”
How it works: Hyperchat AI works by dividing a large group into parallel subgroups, each sized for thoughtful deliberation. The patented Hyperchat AI engine then uses a dynamic network of Conversational Surrogate AI Agents to intelligently share content among the subgroups in real-time. This allows human expertise, insight, and situational awareness to rapidly propagate across the network, enabling distributed teams of specialists, stakeholders, and subject-matter experts to efficiently converge on smarter, faster, and more accurate solutions (Hyperchat AI diagram).
“Hyperchat AI technology is a breakthrough in collaboration, communication, and collective intelligence,” says David Baltaxe, President of Unanimous AI. “We are excited for the opportunity to work with the U.S. Air Force to build Hyperchat AI into Microsoft Teams deployments. This will enable large, distributed teams to solve critical problems more effectively. Our goal is to empower large organizations to collaborate so seamlessly, they become a Collective Superintelligence.”
Unanimous AI is a leading developer of AI tools that optimize collaboration across large, networked teams, amplifying intelligence while keeping humans in the loop. The company’s cloud-based platforms, Swarm® and Thinkscape®, have been used by high profile customers around the world from Fortune 500 corporations to major-league sports teams, hedge funds, the Department of Energy, and the United Nations.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
About Unanimous AI
Unanimous AI develops technologies that make human teams significantly smarter. Modeled on the dynamics of biological swarms, their patented Swarm AI® and Hyperchat AI™ technologies can turn networked teams into a Collective Superintelligence. Their award-winning software platforms, Swarm® and Thinkscape®, have been validated by numerous academic studies and are currently used by large organizations around the world. For more information, visit: unanimous.ai.
About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace forces. With a workforce spanning across nine technology areas and 40 other operations around the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.
About AFWERX
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at four hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has awarded over 10,400 contracts worth more than $7.24 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: afwerx.com.
