The U.S. Department of Defense has requested $13.4 billion in its 2026 budget for autonomous weapons and systems, which includes unmanned and remotely-operated drones and weapons. However, experts have raised concerns that this strategy has resulted in closing civilian harm mitigation centers and decreasing oversight. A report from New York University Law School’s Brennan Center for Justice suggests that the military's expanded use of AI, along with loopholes in the rules governing how the military uses this technology, have made regulation and oversight difficult. The report also found that two tech companies, Palantir and Anduril, have grown their shares of defense revenue faster than most others. The rapid evolution of AI is transforming how drone systems are used for navigation, communication, surveillance, and target identification.