Kodiak Robotics, Inc. (now operating as Kodiak AI, Inc.) is a leading developer of autonomous technology for the long-haul trucking, industrial, and defense sectors. Founded in 2018, the company focuses on creating a 'virtual driver' known as the Kodiak Driver, a platform-agnostic system that integrates high-performance sensors and proprietary AI software to enable driverless operations. In 2024, Kodiak achieved a significant milestone by launching customer-operated driverless commercial deliveries in the Permian Basin for Atlas Energy Solutions, effectively becoming the first company to deploy fully autonomous trucks in a commercial production environment. In September 2025, the company transitioned to the public markets through a business combination with Ares Acquisition Corporation II (AACT), trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker 'KDK' with a valuation of approximately $2.5 billion. Beyond commercial trucking, Kodiak has aggressively expanded into the defense market, collaborating with companies like Textron Systems to integrate its autonomous driving system into military platforms like the RIPSAW M3 for reconnaissance and tactical support. The company's technology is noted for its use of Vision-Language Models (VLMs) and generative AI to navigate complex, off-road, and highway edge cases without the need for pre-mapped environments. The company also serves on the board of this autonomous trucking entity.