Preventing drone armageddon: Fight brews over AI-powered killer robots
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?? You're reading The Vital Component, a breakdown of the week's engineering news delivered to your inbox. I’m Tim, newsletter editor at IE. Let's dive in.
This week’s headlines feature worrying military and AI developments, an innovative startup pursuing fusion power, and technology tackling urgent challenges.
The Pentagon wants autonomous drones powered by artificial intelligence that can hunt and kill targets once launched — raising alarms over “killer robots” and the automation of slaughter. Meanwhile, a Virginia startup believes it can spark viable nuclear fusion using streamlined railgun technology operated by technicians, not theoretical physicists.
Also making headlines: Drones now deliver life-saving defibrillators to cardiac arrest patients faster than ambulances, drastically improving survival odds. Airbus makes progress on autonomous aerial refueling to serve defense and civil aviation. And a purple bronze quantum breakthrough may enable a perfect switch, overcoming limits in electronics.
Plus, did an undisclosed AI discovery at OpenAI trigger CEO Sam Altman’s ouster? Can jetpack shoulder guns inspired by Predator become a reality? Will Earth experience disruptions from an intense new sunspot group?
From leaps in drones, materials science and computing to sober warnings on AI weapons and geo storms, it’s been another eventful week. Read on below for details on these technology milestones and cautions that will shape our shared future.
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MUST KNOW
The Pentagon is rapidly developing lethal drones powered by artificial intelligence that can autonomously hunt and kill targets once launched. For the first time, weapons will use their own cognition to complete missions, but the potential automation of slaughter flies against established norms of human control and accountability in war.?
As more nations race to develop autonomous killer robots, calls for a ban grow louder. These drones far exceed the capabilities of existing “fire-and-forget” missiles, forcing a moral reckoning over leaving life and death decisions to unsupervised machines. Learn more about the Pentagon’s pursuit of conscience-free “killer robots” and the international movement rallying to stop fully-automated warfare. Read more
Just before OpenAI’s CEO was ousted, researchers flagged an AI system called Q* solving math problems at a grade-school level. Though details are scarce, insiders suggest its advanced reasoning sparked worries over safeguards. This undisclosed model may be what sparked the subsequent whirlwind power struggle. Peek behind the scenes at the AI startup’s latest crisis. Read more
Virginia-based NearStar Fusion believes it can harness modern railgun technology to achieve abundant green energy more efficiently than fusion dependent on lasers. With just a skeleton team and a bootstrapping mentality, NearStar is an underdog. But should their streamlined approach fire up fusion output exceeding input, they could pioneer the first commercially scalable reaction. NearStar wants mechanics, not scientists, running fusion plants. Is this lean startup nuclear fusion’s Wright brothers moment? Read more?
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WEEK'S MOST IMPORTANT NEWS?
?? Formerly shatterproof Cybertruck windows to be bulletproof: Elon Musk But who could forget that the truck's shatterproof glass broke during a demonstration in 2019?
?? Drones with defibrillators are saving people from cardiac arrest Researchers found drones typically arrive several minutes before emergency vehicles, enabling defibrillation to start sooner when timing is critical
?? Gravity Industries unveils Predator-style shoulder guns for jetpack Gravity Industries’ founder Richard Browning has released a video on social media letting rip on a river with pistols mounted on a Daedalus jetpack.
???Astronomers baffled by powerful particle from empty space The scientists who discovered the particle were puzzled by its source, as they could not find anything in that region of space that could have produced such a high-energy particle.
?? Earth in the crosshairs of a sunspot group’s eruptions A group of giant sunspots on the sun’s surface has increased solar activity and may send a powerful coronal mass ejection towards Earth.
?? Quantum breakthrough paves way for ‘perfect switch’ in electronic devices Dive into the quantum frontier as researchers reveal the potential of purple bronze – a material holding the key to a perfect switch in quantum devices.
?? SUV’s ‘Emergency Float Mode’ leads passengers to safety in deep waters Experience luxury afloat! BYD's YangWang U8 SUV showcases Emergency Float Mode, blending elegance with safety in deep waters. Watch the incredible demo now!
?? Tech captures and stores truck exhaust as liquid CO2 to cut emissions Trucks that carry goods across Switzerland release over a million tons of carbon dioxide per year.
?? Airbus tests autonomous air-to-air refueling with AI-guided drones Airbus's autonomous refueling technology, Auto'Mate, is expected to play a crucial role in the defense and civil aviation sectors.
JOB ALERT
In this section you’ll find the latest jobs as featured on: jobs.interestingengineering.com
“What’s unique about NearStar is that everything we need to build the fusion power plant already exists on planet Earth.”
Amit Singh, CEO of NearStar
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An IT Program Manager| Helping businesses in building Cloud infrastructure, IT Software applications, Data Centers and ERP with agility| Formerly with Cisco, IBM, HP and RIL
1 年Thanks for sharing