Alex Karp, chief executive of Palantir Technologies, has described the company's drive to lead in artificial intelligence (AI) as a "moral imperative".
He argued that superior technology can deter enemies by convincing them they would lose any war.
Karp's comments, reported by Seeking Alpha, applied to openly available AI models as well as Palantir's own software.
He presented the Denver-based defence and data analytics company as a supplier of tools that support "the warfighter" and help prevent conflicts, not just fight them.
The deterrence argument
Shyam Sankar, Palantir's chief technology officer, set out the thinking behind Karp's position.
He said credible deterrence requires technology that is "10x" or "100x" better than an enemy's, backed by the factories to produce military equipment at scale.
Sankar said this was a lesson from the war in Ukraine.
Palantir sees China as a capable rival in AI and says European allies will need help adopting the technology.
The company has faced criticism for its support of Ukraine and Israel.
Record results
The comments came alongside third-quarter results that beat forecasts.
Revenue rose 96% to $2.31 billion, ahead of the $2.18 billion analysts expected.
Adjusted earnings were 44 cents a share, against forecasts of 41 cents.
US commercial revenue jumped 148% to $984 million, overtaking US government revenue of $953 million for the first time.
Palantir raised its full-year revenue forecast to about $8.53 billion.
However, the total value of new contracts signed grew just 6% to about $2.92 billion.
Palantir said customers were signing shorter initial deals, which it expects to grow over time.
Read more
