ZenaTech, Inc. has announced that it has selected Baton Rouge, Louisiana as the base for Zena AI, Inc., the company’s specialized AI division that will develop next-generation drone technologies for US defense and homeland security applications. The company has signed a lease for a secure office space in the Downtown Baton Rouge area and will be hiring up to eight AI software and engineering specialists by the end of the year.
“Selecting Baton Rouge as the US hub for Zena AI will fast-track our R&D efforts to advance research, development, and commercialization of next-generation drone technologies for defense and homeland security,” said Shaun Passley, PhD, ZenaTech CEO. “The city’s growing technology ecosystem including strong connections to defense and infrastructure resources, aerospace and engineering talent, and research resources make it an ideal location for advanced AI drone and quantum innovation.”
The facility is intended to house a multidisciplinary team of AI software engineers, data scientists, systems engineers, and drone technology specialists. The team will advance ZenaDrone’s ISR (Inspection, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) and related AI drone platforms while expanding the company’s pool of top American AI and engineering talent.
Teams will work on a range of advanced defense and homeland security applications, including autonomous navigation, multi-drone or drone fleet coordination, real-time decision-making, along with exploration of intuitive control interfaces, such as app- or voice-based drone commands for operational use. Development work will also be conducted on the Eagle Eye project, an initiative that will integrate AI drones, historical and real time data, and quantum computing to deliver a host of predictive insights, accelerated decision-making solutions, and optimized battlefield performance.
These initiatives are aligned with the White House’s AI Action Plan and the three Executive Orders issued on July 23, 2025, which prioritize domestic AI innovation, infrastructure development, and deployment of ideologically neutral AI technologies.
