Defence Trailblazer is excited to announce that Canberra-based company, Dragonfly Thinking Services Pty Ltd, has signed a research project agreement with the University of Adelaide through the Technology Development & Acceleration (TDA) program. The funding will be used to further develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools for strategic decision-making.
Dragonfly Thinking was developed out of the need for a systems approach to policymaking. Based on cutting-edge AI tools, it provides a decision-support platform for businesses and policymakers dealing with complex, interconnected problems.
“When developing techniques to help policymakers navigate complex issues – be it implementing reforms or achieving sustainability – we found that, while effective, the techniques were often nearly as difficult as the problems they were designed to solve,” explained founder and CEO, Anthea Roberts (pictured above). “We wondered: Could AI be the missing piece of the puzzle to help policymakers?”
Dragonfly Thinking started its journey with Defence Trailblazer through the DINAMIC Commercialisation Bootcamps, progressing to the Entrepreneur Foundations for Defence (EFD) program. As an EFD participant, researchers, innovators and start-ups gain dedicated support and training through the Defence Trailblazer’s 10-week program to enable success in the defence market.
Supported by the accelerator programs and additional funding from the CSIRO’s ON Accelerate 8 program, Dragonfly Thinking created an AI tool to apply its trademarked “Risk, Reward and Resilience” (RRR) framework. Specifically designed to aid intelligence analysis and strategic decision-making, it enables actors to understand complex problems more holistically so they can act with greater foresight.
Taking inspiration from dragonfly eyes that have almost 360-degree vision, Dragonfly Thinking integrates many perspectives into a coherent vision. Image by guentherlig from Pixabay.
The geopolitical landscape for policymakers to navigate has never been more complex. Dragonfly Thinking’s software allows users to examine a variety of forces – economic, security, environmental and social – from different perspectives. These viewpoints are then integrated into a coherent and comprehensive decision-making framework.
An example where RRR has helped policymakers address geopolitical challenges is in the formulation of Australia’s Supply Chain Resilience Framework. “Seeing through multiple lenses and integrating perspectives are exactly what we need for complex problems,” explained Roberts. “It’s about embracing their diverse perspectives to enhance cross-cultural diplomacy, intelligence and understanding.”
The company’s impact has already been recognised across Australia’s innovation community. In 2024, Dragonfly Thinking won first prize in the inaugural AI Sprint Competition, and received an ICON Grant from Canberra Innovation Network. The company has also been selected to showcase in the Edge of Government exhibition at the World Government Summit in Dubai over 11-13 February 2025.
Following the conclusion of the EFD program, Dragonfly Thinking will now access Defence Trailblazer’s TDA program to help accelerate its commercialisation of research and product capability.
Dr Margaret Law, General Manager of TDA at Defence Trailblazer said of the project, “Dragonfly Thinking has leveraged support from several of our programs and shown an impressive growth in development capability. By expanding on their generative AI tools in this new project, they are well-placed to deliver an even more sophisticated framework for complex decision-making that can benefit large enterprises, Defence and Government.”
