AI and the government

Written By H. Pike Oliver

I asked Microsoft’s Copilot AI bot to describe Palantir, and here is what I received.

Palantir Technologies Inc. is a public American company specializing in big data analytics software platforms. It was founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel, Nathan Gettings, Joe Lonsdale, Stephen Cohen, and Alex Karp. The company's name is derived from The Lord of the Rings where the magical palantíri were "seeing-stones," described as indestructible balls of crystal used for communication and to see events in other parts of the world.

Palantir is best known for three projects: Palantir Gotham, Palantir Apollo, and Palantir Foundry. Palantir Gotham is used by counter-terrorism analysts at offices in the United States Intelligence Community (USIC) and the United States Department of Defense. Palantir Apollo is a platform that facilitates continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) across all environments. Palantir Foundry is used by corporate clients such as Morgan Stanley, Merck KGaA, Airbus, Wejo, Lilium, PG&E and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Palantir believes institutions can solve hard problems and improve the world with good data and the right software. With Palantir, investigators are: uncovering human trafficking rings, finding exploited children, and unraveling complex financial crimes. 

Humanitarian response organizations are directing resources more effectively to communities affected by natural disasters. Prosecutors are building more robust cases against insider traders. Public health officials are tracking and containing the spread of deadly diseases.

Now, please look at this video presentation by U.S. Army General Gustave F. Perna (Retired) about how Palantir helped with the logistics of delivering the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Then please read this opinion piece by Josh Tyrangiel of the Washington Post.

H. Pike Oliver

H. Pike Oliver focuses on master-planned communities. He is co-author of Transforming the Irvine Ranch: Joan Irvine, William Pereira, Ray Watson, and THE BIG PLAN, published by Routledge in 2022.

Early in his career, Pike worked for public agencies, including the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research, where he was a principal contributor to An Urban Strategy for California. For the next three decades, he was involved in master-planned development on the Irvine Ranch in Southern California, as well as other properties in western North America and abroad.

Beginning in 2009, Pike taught real estate development at Cornell University and directed the undergraduate program in Urban and Regional Studies. He relocated to Seattle in 2013 and, from 2016 to 2020, served as a lecturer in the Runstad Department of Real Estate at the University of Washington, where he also served as its chair.

Pike graduated from San Francisco State University's urban studies and planning program and received a master's degree in urban planning from UCLA. He is a member of the American Planning Association and the Urban Land Institute and a founder and emeritus member of the California Planning Roundtable.

https://urbanexus.com
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