Canadian AI darling Cohere says it’s not partnered or working with Palantir, following recent social media speculation arising from a 2024 TechCrunch report.
The news: The TechCrunch article, published in December 2024, claimed that Cohere was working with Palantir to deploy its AI models. It was based on a now-unavailable video posted by Palantir that reportedly showed a Cohere engineer discussing deployments of Cohere’s AI with a Palantir customer.
In response to multiple posts last week mentioning the connection between the companies, Cohere co-founder Nick Frosst insisted publicly that there was no commercial relationship between them. Cohere confirmed to BetaKit on Tuesday that the company doesn’t sell to or partner with Palantir. BetaKit has reached out to Palantir for comment.
From the source: “We’re happy to clarify this matter once and for all, especially since the story in question dates back nearly two years. Palantir is not a customer or partner,” Cohere spokesperson Kyle Lastovica wrote in an emailed statement.
Lastovica addressed the TechCrunch report by explaining that several years ago, Cohere participated in a “short-term pilot arranged at the request of a prospective customer,” which “did not move forward, generated no revenue, and concluded shortly after it began in 2024.” BetaKit has asked in a follow-up email if Cohere can comment on why that pilot didn’t move forward and for more clarity on how Cohere chooses the companies it works with.
Following the thread: Palantir is a Miami-based data analytics firm that sells AI-powered software to governments and enterprises, including the US military. The firm has become notorious for controversial applications of its tech, such as a surveillance app that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses to identify neighbourhoods for deportation raids, as well as for its AI system that’s reportedly been used in US strikes on Iran. In February, CEO Alex Karp blasted Canada and European nations for lagging on AI adoption compared to the US.
The Canadian government came under fire this week when the Investigative Journalism Foundation revealed that the Department of National Defence had paid Palantir $46.8 million as of this year for its software, in amendments to an initial $14.4-million contract from 2020.
Final thought: Cohere may not be working with Palantir, but it’s not shying away from the defence and military space. It has inked contracts with defence firms such as Thales Canada and German submarine maker ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems—both of which are non-Canadian firms whose equipment is used by the Canadian Armed Forces.
Companies like Cohere, which position themselves as Canadian sovereign AI leaders, will likely continue to face scrutiny over which foreign firms they choose to partner with.
Feature image courtesy Palantir via LinkedIn.