International attempts to regulate the use of autonomous weapons, sometimes called "killer robots", are faltering and may be derailed if such weapons are used in Ukraine and seen to be effective. No country is known to have used autonomous weapons yet. Their potential use is controversial because they would select and attack targets without human oversight. Arms control groups are campaigning for the creation of binding international agreements to cover their use, like the ones we have for chemical and biological weapons, before they are deployed. Progress is being stymied by world events, however.

The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has announced a new AI (artificial intelligence) technology that is set to automate and revolutionise the way the state's roads are maintained and repaired. The project announced on Tuesday would fund a 2.9-million-Australian dollar ($1.96-million) trial from AI company, Asset AI, which would install sensors on 32 public buses with routes across greater Sydney. The sensors use AI to combine visual data with local weather conditions to predict the rate of deterioration in the city's roads -- meaning it would in theory be able to alert maintenance teams before potholes or other road damages pose a risk to traffic. "There will always be cracks in the road and there will always be potholes but with smart tech like this we can predict deterioration, streamline maintenance and get to better outcomes much faster," said NSW Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Victor Dominello. At present, road damages and defects rely on reports from residents.

Regulation of data privacy may be changing in Canada, with the proposed creation of a new enforcement body with the power to impose very significant fines. The proposed reform also includes new regulation of the use of artificial intelligence. On 16 June 2022, the Canadian government introduced a proposal for three-pronged legislation to strengthen Canada's data privacy framework and create new regulations for the responsible development of artificial intelligence (AI), while continuing to implement Canada's Digital Charter. The Digital Charter establishes ten key principles for the digital landscape, such as universal access, safety, and control and consent in relation to personal data. The proposal (Bill C-27, the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022) would also introduce significant changes to enforcement.

The BirdNET app, a free machine-learning powered tool that can identify more than 3,000 birds by sound alone, generates reliable scientific data and makes it easier for people to contribute citizen-science data on birds by simply recording sounds, according to new Cornell research. "The most exciting part of this work is how simple it is for people to participate in bird research and conservation," said Connor Wood, research associate in the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and lead author of The Machine Learning-Powered BirdNET App Reduces Barriers to Global Bird Research by Enabling Citizen Science Participation, which was published on 28 June in PLOS Biology. "You don't need to know anything about birds, you just need a smartphone, and the BirdNET app can then provide both you and the research team with a prediction for what bird you've heard," Wood said. "This has led to tremendous participation worldwide, which translates to an incredible wealth of data. It's really a testament to an enthusiasm for birds that unites people from all walks of life."

The drone strike was the latest in a series of American military operations against ISIS and Al Qaeda in Syria, which have been relatively rare since the fall of the Islamic State's so-called caliphate in 2019. On June 16, Army Delta Force commandos seized Hani Ahmed al-Kurdi, a top Islamic State bomb maker and operations facilitator also known as Salim, in a ground raid in Aleppo, Syria. Nine days later, the United States carried out an airstrike in Idlib Province that the military said killed Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, a senior leader of Hurras al-Din, Al Qaeda's branch in Syria. The U.S. attack on Tuesday came as Mr. Biden prepared to depart for Israel and Saudi Arabia, his first visit to the Middle East as president. The trip will largely focus on Iran's nuclear program and malign activities in the region.

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia in Lebanon, fired three drones toward Israeli gas rigs this month in an area of the eastern Mediterranean claimed by Lebanon. Israeli officials said that the drones, which were quickly intercepted, did not carry arms of any kind and that they were launched only to show that Hezbollah is able to reach a point considered strategic and sensitive. The Israeli defense establishment has sophisticated air-defense mechanisms capable of intercepting rockets fired by enemies in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Israel also has a complex system of sensors able to detect tunnels that Palestinian and Lebanese militants sometimes dig under Israel's borders. But those defenses are relatively inefficient against the drone.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will launch 75 artificial intelligence-powered Defence products today at the first-ever AI in Defence symposium and exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Defence. The AI products, launched as part of the'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations, fall under various domains. Out of these 75 products, some are already being used by the armed forces while the rest are in the process of deployment. India desired world peace but won't be left behind in the technologies needed to protect the nation. The nature of modern warfare is changing and AI will play a significant role in warfare. These products are tested and soon to be deployed for the safety and security of the nation.

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Moments after US President Joe Biden touches down in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, the Israeli military will show him new hardware it says is essential to confronting Iran: anti-drone lasers. While Israel has long been known for its efforts to thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions, Israeli officials have increasingly been sounding the alarm over Iran's fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This month, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a total of four unarmed drones headed for an offshore gas rig. It said the drones were Iranian-made and launched by the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which is backed by Tehran. This image grab from a video released by the Israeli army spokesperson's unit on July 2, 2022, reportedly shows a drone launched by Lebanon's Hezbollah movement that was headed towards an offshore gas field in the Mediterranean Photo: AFP As concerns mount over drone warfare, Israel hopes the new "Iron Beam" system will secure its skies. While not yet operational, the military hardware was described as a "game-changer" in April by then-prime minister Naftali Bennett.

Fifty-two billion dollars in proposed funding for U.S. chip manufacturing subsidies that in January looked like it would sail through Congress is no longer a sure bet. It has been languishing in congressional reconciliation for weeks and has transformed from a widely supported piece of legislation into a partisan football. The rub might be that, like it or not, the chip subsidies have never been at the top of the congressional priority list. Its fate has been tied to USICA, a law that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed will not pass if the "Democrats are pursuing a partisan reconciliation bill." If some form of the bill fails to get to the president's desk by the August congressional recess, the chip funding is all but dead until the new Congress begins governing in 2023.