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Police in San Francisco are requesting authorization to use lethal force using robots

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The San Francisco Police Department is currently asking the city’s Board of Supervisors for approval to use robots to kill criminals who pose a sufficient threat to officers or the general public, according to law enforcement, and whose deaths would be preferable to using any other form of force. According to a story from Mission Local, the draft policy, which was created by the SFPD itself, also aims to “remove hundreds of assault rifles from its inventory of military-style weapons and for not including staff costs in the price of its weaponry.”

As Mission Local points out, there has already been a lot of internal and external criticism to this initiative. Supervisor Aaron Peskin initially opposed the use of force provisions, adding to the policy phrase that “Robots shall not be employed as a Use of Force against any human.” In a later draft, the SFPD deleted that language, which I was unaware they had the authority to do as a lifelong resident of San Francisco. That proposal was then unanimously accepted by the Rules Committee, which Peskin heads, and forwarded to the full Board of Supervisors for a vote on November 29. Peskin justified his selection by saying that “there could be circumstances in which the use of lethal force was the only choice.”

Twelve fully operational remote-controlled robots are currently kept on hand by the police department; these robots are mainly utilized for area inspections and bomb disposal. However, they can make fantastic bomb delivery platforms, as the Dallas PD demonstrated in 2016. Although police can use live rounds if necessary, as Oakland police recently revealed to that city’s public oversight board, bomb disposal squads frequently utilize blank shotgun shells to violently disable an explosive device’s internal workings.

As Editor here at GeekReply, I'm a big fan of all things Geeky. Most of my contributions to the site are technology related, but I'm also a big fan of video games. My genres of choice include RPGs, MMOs, Grand Strategy, and Simulation. If I'm not chasing after the latest gear on my MMO of choice, I'm here at GeekReply reporting on the latest in Geek culture.

Artificial Intelligence

The Pentagon is requesting $14.5 billion for cybersecurity expenses, which includes implementing a zero trust approach

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The U.S. Department of Defense is requesting $14.5 billion for its efforts in cyberspace, which involve protecting information networks through zero-trust strategies, expanding its workforce, and exploring advanced computers.

The fiscal 2025 budget request revealed on March 11 exceeds the Biden administration’s prior request by almost $1 billion. In fiscal 2023, it requested $11.2 billion, which is now higher.

The department is focusing on cyber-related matters because of the escalating digital competition with Russia and China. All three major world powers are renowned for their extensive virtual weapons stockpiles and their inclination to investigate and test boundaries without inciting armed confrontation.

The senior defense official at the Pentagon informed reporters that the FY25 cyber activity budget prioritizes investments in three portfolios: cybersecurity, cyberspace operations, and cyber research and development. “Cyber capabilities will remain an essential element of our national defense and will be a top priority in our budget.”

According to the Government Accountability Office, the Defense Department has experienced over 12,000 cyber incidents since 2015, with the number decreasing annually since 2017. Foreign hackers who want to steal their intellectual property target defense contractors.

The department is implementing a zero-trust approach to enhance the security of its sensitive information. The zero-trust cybersecurity paradigm operates under the assumption that networks are constantly at risk or have already been infiltrated, necessitating continuous verification of devices, users, and their virtual access.

The fiscal plan for 2025 designates a little over $977 million for the zero-trust transition. The budget includes about $300 million for updated identity, credential, and access management (ICAM) to customize available information for individuals and monitor their activities.

The senior official stated that the cybersecurity budget request enhances the department’s cyber posture by allocating funds for the creation and upgrading of cybersecurity tools and capabilities. Additionally, it increases investment in zero-trust technology to assure the entire security and protection of the department’s assets.

By 2027, the department must establish a foundational level of zero trust. Further safeguards, known as advanced zero trust, are necessary in the future. Cybersecurity experts have previously stated that meeting the approaching deadlines will be difficult.

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Artificial Intelligence

Tim Cook subtly promotes Apple Vision Pro while complimenting Porsche

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Porsche has introduced the new Taycan Turbo GT electric car and unveiled Race Engineer Cockpit software for the Apple Vision Pro.
Porsche has collaborated with Apple to incorporate CarPlay into older vehicles and plans to enhance its integration in future app updates. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume expressed gratitude to Apple for their relationship during the launch of the company’s new Taycan Turbo GT EV.

The debut involved setting a new electric vehicle lap record, and during Porsche’s introduction, Blume was seen seeing the action on an Apple Vision Pro. Blume may watch TV-style footage and monitor the car’s perspective, together with regularly updated data.

Tim Cook congratulated the Porsche team on setting a new record with their remarkable new vehicle in a video. Such remarkable achievements demonstrate the potential when a group of highly committed individuals collaborate to innovate on a significant concept.

“Porsche is renowned for its excellence, and we are pleased to see that several of our products are involved in your work,” he stated. “It’s wonderful to see Apple Vision Pro contributing to the transformation of track experiences.”

“I strongly believe that spatial computing has the capacity to transform nearly every industry,” he added. “You are demonstrating how Apple Vision Pro will achieve the seemingly unachievable.”

Blume revealed that its racing application will soon be available to users of the Apple Vision Pro. “We will definitely have some unexpected things in store for you,” he continued.

In 2020, the Porsche Taycan became the first car to fully include Apple Music. Porsche revealed that in addition to providing access to the service in their vehicles, they will also be developing exclusive playlists for it.

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Artificial Intelligence

Renowned computer scientist predicts that highly advanced artificial intelligence may be developed by 2029

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The computer scientist who introduced the term artificial general intelligence (AGI) anticipates its potential arrival by 2029.

Ben Goertzel, the founder of SingularityNET, spoke at the Beneficial AGI Summit 2024, where he discussed the goal of creating a decentralized, democratic, inclusive, and beneficial artificial general intelligence. During the presentation, he informed the audience that there may come a time when artificial intelligence may enhance itself.

Although this stage may appear distant, he provides several reasons why he thinks it could happen rapidly. Goertzel explains that the reason for this is due to the current period of exponential development rather than linear growth, which can be challenging to fully grasp and understand the rapid pace of change.

“It seems probable that within the next 10 to 20 years, a single computer will possess computational capabilities comparable to those of a human brain by 2029 or 2030,” stated Goertzel during his presentation. “In about 10 to 15 years, a single computer would possess approximately the computational capacity equivalent to that of the entire human society.”

Goertzel acknowledges that large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have raised awareness about AI’s potential but argues that they are not the route to achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) due to their lack of true comprehension of the world, functioning more as an advanced autocomplete tool.

He thinks that LLMs could play a role in AGI that leads us closer to the singularity, possibly within his company’s OpenCog Hyperon.

Goertzel stated in an unreviewed preprint publication on arXiv that it is feasible to instruct a Hyperon system to create and write software code. LLMs are proficient in basic situations; Hyperon aims to enhance this skill with advanced creativity and more sophisticated multi-stage reasoning. When a system is capable of designing and writing code proficiently to enhance itself and create future iterations, we are on the brink of potentially triggering a complete intelligence explosion and technological singularity.

Goertzel has both reservations and enthusiasm on this matter. Before releasing Pandora, we must establish appropriate safeguards, a task we have not yet mastered. If the singularity is imminent, as Goertzel and other computer scientists suggest, there is a significant need to ensure accuracy promptly.

“Once human-level AGI is achieved, it could rapidly progress to radically superhuman AGI, unless its development is hindered by its own conservatism,” stated Goertzel during his presentation.

An AGI capable of introspection could do technical and scientific tasks at a level comparable to or above that of humans. An AGI should be capable of creating a more intelligent AGI, leading to an intelligence explosion. This could result in an exponential growth rate surpassing even the expectations of computer scientist Ray Kurzweil.

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