Showing 1 - 4 of 4
Who has the lead in the AI race?
News, Peter Apps, Published on 17/01/2019
» In October, 31 Chinese teenagers reported to the Beijing Institute of Technology, one of the country's premier military research establishments. Selected from more than 5,000 applicants, Chinese authorities hope they will design a new generation of artificial intelligent weapons systems that could range from microscopic robots to computer worms, submarines, drones and tanks.
Muslim minority faces modern Orwellian nightmare
News, Peter Apps, Published on 17/05/2018
» In China's northwest Xinjiang province, the predominantly Muslim Uighur minority have nowhere to hide. Facial recognition software reportedly alerts authorities if targeted individuals stray more than 300 metres from their homes and workplaces. Residents face arrest if they fail to download smartphone software that allows them to be tracked, according to social media users. Simply wishing to travel outside China can be cause for arrest, with Beijing detaining family members and using its political clout to force extradition of those abroad.
China mimics Orwellian dystopia
News, Peter Apps, Published on 18/10/2017
» As tens of thousands of Chinese drinkers walked into a beer festival in the eastern port city of Qingdao in August, a software programme scanned their pictures. Those identified as being on a police list of wanted persons were pinpointed in less than a second. By the end of the three-week event, authorities had made 25 arrests, including one of someone on the run for a decade. According to police, the programme had correctly matched faces in 98% of cases.
The West's military renaissance
News, Peter Apps, Published on 24/07/2017
» This month's G20 meeting in Hamburg showed Western countries still struggling for a strategy to stop suspected Russian meddling in their politics and hacking their elections. Behind the scenes, however, the US and European militaries have been more effective in adapting to the actions of President Vladimir Putin and Moscow's aggressive new military doctrine.