Dec 16 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) said on

Monday it had formed a subsidiary that will help U.S. defense

companies incorporate artificial intelligence into their

operations.

Companies across sectors have leaned more on AI over the

past few years to help optimize their workflow. However, defense

companies have remained cautious given the sensitive data

required to train models in the sector.

Earlier this month, privately held defense tech company

Anduril Industries partnered with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI to

develop and deploy advanced artificial intelligence solutions

for national security missions.

Lockheed said the subsidiary, Astris AI, will also focus on

enabling the adoption of AI solutions in some commercial

applications.

The subsidiary will be headed by Lockheed Martin's ( LMT ) chief

revenue officer Donna O'Donnell, who has previously overseen a

team at Xerox covering automation and generative AI.

Industry executives say President-elect Donald Trump's

planned U.S. government efficiency drive involving Elon Musk

could lead to more joint projects between big defense

contractors and smaller tech firms in areas such as artificial

intelligence, drones and uncrewed submarines.