Cloud-based drone mapping platform and analytics startup DroneDeploy Inc. just introduced new agentic artificial intelligence features and platform updates to advance automation and data-driven decision-making for critical industry operations.

Announced today at the Horizons 2025 user conference, the company unveiled AI agents for safety hazards and inspection, accelerated development of tools for embodied ground robotics and enhancements to its platform for survey-grade 3D scanning accuracy.

Used across more than 3 million sites worldwide, DroneDeploy offers intelligent cloud-control software for drones that includes safety checks, workflows and real-time mapping with analytical support. The company said its platform is designed to transform critical operations through mapping data, spanning agriculture, construction, mining, inspection and surveying.

“The future of construction and industrial operations isn’t some distant promise, it’s being built right now on jobsites and in facilities,” said co-founder and Chief Executive Mike Winn. “We’re meeting customers where they are, whether that’s enhancing the accuracy and automation of their current workflows or preparing them for autonomous robots.”

As part of the rollout, DroneDeploy announced major platform expansions using AI agents — autonomous intelligent systems capable of completing tasks with minimal human supervision.

The first of these, Progress AI, uses vision-language models to track more than 50 projects, from commercial offices to hyperscale data centers. According to the company, its agentic AI solution can generate progress reports up to 100 times faster than traditional human-directed tracking methods.

“Automatic verification removes the data bottlenecks and delivers higher accuracy drone data, every time, with less effort,” said Scott Brown, construction technology manager at Garney Construction.

Brown added that the company’s accuracy and capability is transforming how the company scales its inspection and operations work.

Inspection AI, debut as the newest offering, is purpose-built for predictive maintenance of assets for oil and gas facilities, rail corridors, renewables and facility infrastructure. Using AI agents, it can conduct automated manual review of visual data and ranks severity and prepares results for asset management teams.

“AI agents aren’t just processing data — they’re reasoning,” said James Stripe, chief product officer at DroneDeploy.

In addition, Safety AI, the company’s automatic safety risk identification platform, received new features including a floor plan view and automated verification of resolved conditions.

Enhancing a unified foundation for aerial and ground

To support larger operations and faster reporting, DroneDeploy said it has significantly upgraded its capabilities for aerial and ground robotics.

Enhanced aerial drone performance now delivers up to three times higher processing quality and 25% faster results. New features include automatic ground control point tagging and expert map accuracy to meet survey-grade standards.

The company also expanded its ground platform, enabling users to move from 2D to 3D documentation. Updates include fast mobile 3D scanning with lidar, real-time kinetic scanning for highly accurate point clouds, and advanced 3D data visualization tools such as dollhouse, splat and mesh views.

These capabilities allow users to compare inspection data from ground drones with computer-aided design files, including Drawing Exchange Format and Industry Foundation Classes, to produce more precise scan analyses.

Preparing for the robot revolution

AI model developers are rapidly advancing large language and vision-language models that can interpret the physical world. This evolution is paving the way for robots that autonomously navigate and capture interior and exterior data on building sites.

“The challenge of maintaining frequent, consistent capture is solved by robots simply showing up and doing the work,” said Stripe. “What wasn’t possible even six months ago is now becoming reality. We’re meeting customers where they’re at with docked drones operating on 100-plus projects today and ground robots with embodied AI coming next year.”

DroneDeploy shared its 2026 roadmap, outlining plans to align with these emerging AI models. The company aims to let businesses deploy intelligent autonomous systems that require no robotics development expertise. Because of their autonomous nature, these systems will need minimal human management, only oversight as they perform and complete tasks.

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