As autonomous weapons systems, sometimes called killer robots, move closer towards becoming a logistically feasible option for governments around the world, they are also generating increasing controversy. More than 2,400 researchers from 170 different organizations called this week for a worldwide ban on autonomous weapons. "Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to play an increasing role … Continue reading As experts urge caution, military pushes aggressive A.I. agenda
Tag: AI
It is no big secret that the U.S. military and its friends in private business want to wire their latest technology directly into the human brain. In late 2016, I wrote about the Defense Department using "electrical brain stimulators" to give its drone operators "minor brain zaps" to keep them awake, for instance. More recently, … Continue reading DARPA wants soldiers’ minds controlling machines, and vice versa
In 2016, after giving the matter "thoughtful consideration," tech executive Eric Schmidt told the public they should "stop freaking out" about potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence. Schmidt recently announced his resignation from the chairmanship of Google's parent company Alphabet, though he's apparently continuing in roles not only as an Alphabet board member, but heading the … Continue reading Google involvement in drone A.I. project revealed
If you're a regular internet user, you may have noticed that said internet is swarming with bots. Yet the extent of the presence of fake accounts on platforms like Twitter may be greater --and more organized-- than many previously thought. In a recent article titled "The Follower Factory," the New York Times goes on for … Continue reading Demand for fake followers drives bot black market
Most observers seem to agree that future conflicts around the world will involve greater use of electronic and cyber warfare. A new document published this month, titled The U.S. Army Concept for Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations 2025-2040, offers some insight into how military planners are currently looking at this issue. "This document describes how the … Continue reading Army outlines future electronic warfare, cyberspace plans
Developing more complex and invasive methods of mass surveillance seems to be a constant goal of governments around the world as they pursue ever-increasing control over their citizens' lives. While much has been revealed about Western governments' communications monitoring programs in recent years, however, new developments in China and India offer insights into the potential … Continue reading Flawed biometric schemes in Asia highlight mass surveillance risks
Elon Musk, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, made headlines in August for joining a group of leading artificial intelligence experts in calling on the United Nations to ban fully autonomous weapons systems, sometimes referred to as killer robots. Yet a recent report on another Musk venture, Tesla, Inc., highlights the somewhat contradictory nature of his … Continue reading Elon Musk should call for a ban on self-driving Teslas
Despite growing concerns from experts and the public about the security of increasingly interconnected machine networks and the potential dangers of artificial intelligence leading to "killer robot" technology, top military strategists are pushing forward with ambitious plans to vastly expand the Defense Department's concept of "network centric warfare." In a recent article on the Pentagon's … Continue reading The Pentagon’s classified plan to create Skynet
An artificial intelligence arms race seems to be officially underway following Russian President Vladimir Putin's comment last week that whoever comes to dominate the field "will be the ruler of the world." This is one area, at least, where top U.S. policymakers can apparently agree with Putin. The military and the Central Intelligence Agency are … Continue reading CIA, DoD eager to tap AI capabilities they don’t understand
It's been a busy year in the world of robotics and the politics surrounding it, the latest development coming in the form of potentially conflicting comments from two Pentagon officials hinting at what the future of an international killer robot ban -- or lack thereof -- might look like. Not only has the job-killing potential … Continue reading DoD officials offer conflicting hints on killer robot policy
MirrorWilderness.com 