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China launched the world's first AI-operated 'mother ship,' an unmanned carrier capable of launching dozens of drones

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China has launched the world's first crewless drone carrier that uses artificial intelligence to navigate autonomously in open water. Beijing has officially described it as a maritime research tool, but some experts have said the ship has the potential to be used as a military vessel. The autonomous ship, the Zhu Hai Yun (pictured here) is around 290 feet long, 45 feet wide, and 20 feet deep and can carry dozens of air, sea, and submersible drones equipped with different observation instruments, according to the shipbuilder, CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipping Co. It describes the vessel as "epoch making" and the "world's first intelligent unmanned system mother ship." "The most immediate benefit to China is likely data collection," Matthew Funaiole, senior fellow of China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Insider.


Taiwan To Set Up 'Bee Eye' Radars To Track Low-Flying Objects From China

International Business Times

Amid battling China's aggression tactics, Taiwan has decided to ramp up its air defense by setting up locally-made "Bee Eye" radar systems on the outposts of Dongyin and Quemoy. The radars will also be installed at the disputed Pratas and Spratly archipelagos in the South China Sea. The decision to bring in a new defense system next year comes after several low-flying objects from China began posing a threat to the island's security over the last few months, reported South China Morning Post. While such low-flying aircraft and drones are difficult to detect in an ordinary system, the Bee Eye has electronically-scanned array radars that help eliminate the blind spot. At present, Taiwan uses Lockheed Martin portable search and target acquisition radars (PSTAR) on those islands.


China's Drone Carrier Hints At 'Swarm' Ambitions For Pacific

International Business Times

Officially it is just a research vessel, but China's newly unveiled drone carrier is a clear sign Beijing is rushing to deploy an autonomous swarm of unmanned devices in its push for military supremacy in the Pacific Ocean. State media last month showed the launching of the Zhu Hai Yun -- "Zhu Hai Cloud" -- capable of transporting an unspecified number of flying drones as well as surface and submarine craft, and operating autonomously thanks to artificial intelligence. The 89-metre (292-foot) ship would be operational by year-end with a top speed of 18 knots, vastly increasing China's surveillance potential of the vast Pacific area it considers its zone of influence. "The vessel is not only an unprecedented precision tool at the frontier of marine science, but also a platform for marine disaster prevention and mitigation, seabed precision mapping, marine environment monitoring, and maritime search and rescue," Chen Dake, lab director at the firm that built the carrier, told China Daily. Armies worldwide see drone squadrons as key players in combat, able to overwhelm defence systems by sheer numbers and without putting soldiers' lives at risk, such as with more expensive jets or tanks.


Hey C-Suite: AI Won't Save You!

#artificialintelligence

This article is a collaboration with David Gossett, Principal with Infornautics, who builds first mover technologies that have no instruction set and need to be invented from scratch. He believes data has a story to tell if we apply the right machine models. His specialty is unstructured data. This article is intended to be provocative, to summon curiosity into the issues that plague us today when it comes to machine learning. Three years ago, I wrote this article, Artificial Intelligence Needs to Reset. The AI Hype that was supposed to transpire into all-things automated is still far off. Since that time, we've experienced speed bumps that have pointed to issues including lack of model accountability (black boxes), bias, lack of data representation in the training set etc. An AI Ethics movement emerged to demand more responsible tech, increased model transparency and verifiable models that do what they're supposed to do without impairment or harm to individuals or groups, in the process. Our future is Artificial Intelligence. It's been conjectured that this wonderful AI will be our savior.


China Launches World's First Drone Mothership; Likely To Be Used For Military Purposes

International Business Times

China has launched the world's first drone carrier, a vessel that will likely be used for military purposes. The ship, Zhu Hai Yun, can be controlled remotely to navigate autonomously in open water. Zhu Hai Yun, launched last week, has a wide deck equipped to carry dozens of unmanned vehicles including drones, unmanned ships and submersibles, reported the South China Morning Post. This also makes it a powerful platform to launch UAVs for military purposes, though Beijing claims the vehicle has been designed for marine research purposes. The drone mothership is expected to be commissioned by the end of the year after sea trials. According to the Chinese state-run Science and Technology Daily, the ship could be an "efficient tool in marine disaster prevention and mitigation, environmental monitoring and offshore wind farm maintenance besides delivering accurate marine information."


Biden, South Korea to coordinate on North Korea nuclear threat response

FOX News

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. President Joe Biden is devoting his Saturday to cementing ties with South Korea and its new leader Yoon Suk Yeol as the two sides consult on how best to check the nuclear threat from North Korea at a time when there's little hope of real diplomacy on the matter. The division of the Korean peninsula after World War II has led to two radically different nations. In South Korea, Biden is touring factories for computer chips and next-generation autos in a democracy and engaging in talks for greater cooperation.


AI-Powered Body Scanners to Detect Cancerous Moles on Skin

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A small island in the South Pacific Ocean recently shot to fame by becoming the first territory on our planet to derive its energy needs from the Sun. Covering a small area of 10 square kilometers, Tokelau is a part of New Zealand and lies to the North of Samoan islands . Funded by the government of New Zealand, Tokelau spent about $7 million to put in place three solar grids that will now enable its 1500 residents to harness and utilize solar energy for their daily needs. Why spend $7 million for a power plant in the middle of nowhere you might ask! While the small island generates a small sum of $ 500,000 every year by selling agricultural produce, it spends over $2.8 million, most of which is spent of food and fuel.



Apple's head of machine learning quits after being made to come back to the office three days a week

Daily Mail - Science & tech

A senior director at Apple has quit his job in protest at the company demanding staff return to the office three days a week. Ian Goodfellow, the director of machine learning, is believed to be the most senior employee to resign so far as a result of the plan. On April 11, the company began mandating one day a week in the office - a requirement that rose to two days on May 2. By May 23, all staff had to be at their desks three days a week. A survey of Apple workers from April 13-19 found 67 percent saying they were dissatisfied with the return-to-office policy, Fortune reported. And Goodfellow, in his resignation note, said he would not do it.


How AI Would -- and Wouldn't -- Factor Into a U.S.-Chinese War - War on the Rocks

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In March, a largely overlooked, 90-page Government Accountability Office study revealed something interesting: This summer, the Pentagon is getting a new AI Strategy. Between shaping ethical norms for AI and establishing a new Chief Data and AI Officer, it's clear top brass have big plans for the technology, though the report is light on the details. Released in 2018, the last AI Strategy laid the scaffolding for the U.S. military's high-tech competition with China. But over the past four years one thing has become apparent: The United States needs a balanced approach to AI investment -- one that doesn't simply guard against threats, but also imposes costs on a Chinese force that sees AI as the key to victory. Undoubtedly, a military conflict between the United States and China would be catastrophic, and every effort must be taken to avoid such an outcome through diplomatic means.