Tag: technology

New Details Emerge About Golden Dome’s Four-Layer Missile Defense Shield

The “Hemispheric Defense” theme is gaining momentum with new details emerging that the Golden Dome missile defense system will comprise of four layers: one space-based and three ground-based, including 11 short-range batteries positioned across the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. 

Reuters cited a U.S. government slide presentation on the project, titled “Go Fast, Think Big!”, which was presented to 3,000 defense contractors in Huntsville, Alabama, last week. Think of the Golden Dome as Israel’s Iron Dome on serious steroids, given its complexity and scale. 

According to the slides, the Golden Dome’s missile defense shield architecture calls for:

  • Space layer: satellites for missile warning, tracking, and boost-phase interception.
  • Upper layer: Next Generation Interceptors (NGI), THAAD, and Aegis systems — with a new missile field likely in the Midwest.
  • Under layer: Patriot systems, new radars, and a common launcher for current and future interceptors.

Reuters noted:

One surprise was a new large missile field – seemingly in the Midwest according to a map contained in the presentation – for Next Generation Interceptors (NGI) which are made by Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab and would be a part of the “upper layer” alongside Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Aegis systems which Lockheed also makes.

NGI is the modernized missile for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) network of radars, interceptors and other equipment – currently the primary missile defense shield to protect the United States from intercontinental ballistic missiles from rogue states.

The U.S. operates GMD launch sites in southern California and Alaska. This plan would add a third site in the Midwest to counter additional threats.

The Pentagon pointed out challenges such as communication latency across the kill chain (a step-by-step sequence of actions needed to find, target, and destroy a threat). Major defense contractors on the project include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, and Boeing; SpaceX was absent from the latest plans. 

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Beijing’s first World Humanoid Robot Games open with hip-hop and martial arts

Humanoid robots danced hip-hop, performed martial arts and played keyboard, guitar and drums at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Thursday evening.

The competition begins Friday with more than 500 humanoid robots in 280 teams from 16 countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan, competing in sports including soccer, running and boxing. The event comes as China has stepped up efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence.

During the opening ceremony, the robots demonstrated soccer and boxing among other sports, with some cheering and backflipping as if at a real sports event.

One robot soccer player scored a goal after a few tries, causing the robot goalkeeper to fall to the ground. Another player fell but stood up unassisted.

The robots also modeled fashionable hats and clothes alongside human models. In one mishap, a robot model fell and had to be carried off the stage by two human beings.

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Ukraine’s Patriots Now Struggling To Intercept Enhanced Russian Ballistic Missiles

Asurge in Russian use of ballistic missiles with enhanced maneuvering capabilities has cut into the effectiveness of Ukraine’s Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has confirmed. Russian missile strikes, as well as drone attacks, had spiked in recent months, in general, but they have tapered off to a degree recently ahead of a meeting tomorrow between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine has received three Patriot batteries from the United States, as well as two from Germany, one from Romania, and another jointly supplied by Germany and the Netherlands. The Ukrainian armed forces have also received a variety of different interceptors to use with those systems. American authorities announced last month that they were working with European allies to get additional Patriot batteries to Ukraine’s military. Patriot currently represents the only robust defense Ukraine has against incoming ballistic missiles.

However, “the UAF [Ukrainian Air Force] struggled to consistently use Patriot air defense systems to protect against Russian ballistic missiles due to recent Russian tactical improvements, including enhancements that enable their missiles to change trajectory and perform maneuvers rather than flying in a traditional ballistic trajectory,” according to a Special Inspector General report released this week.

This particular passage is cited to “DIA, response to DoD OIG request for information.” The entire report, which was jointly put together by the Offices of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Agency for International Development, discusses U.S. government activities related to Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe between April 1 and June 30.

“For example, [a] June 28 attack included seven ballistic missiles, of which the UAF shot down only one,” the report adds. “A massed attack on July 9 – the largest air attack since the start of the war – included 13 missiles, of which the UAF shot down or suppressed 7.”

The Special Inspector General report does not offer any further details about what specific types of ballistic missiles are at the source of the issue, nor about the “enhancements” that have been made to them. Whether any specific Patriot interceptors have struggled more than others is also unknown.

However, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat did mention Russia’s domestically developed Iskander-M and North Korean-supplied KN-23s in passing when talking publicly about this issue back in May. The Iskander-M and KN-23 are both short-range ballistic missiles. These are also understood to be, by far, the ballistic missiles that Russia most commonly employs in strikes on Ukraine.

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Game Day Just Got Creepy: Florida Stadium Swaps Tickets for Faces

The University of Florida has launched a facial recognition-based entry system for football games, making it the first college in the country to introduce this technology at a stadium.

Instead of showing a ticket or scanning a phone, participating fans will now be able to walk into games by having their face scanned at dedicated lanes.

The system, called Express Entry, was created by Wicket and reflects a larger pattern of biometric screening being integrated into major sporting events.

To sign up, fans must link their Ticketmaster accounts and submit a selfie.

Once registered, they can skip traditional lines and enter the stadium through special facial recognition lanes. The University claims the process is quick, easy, and designed to relieve congestion. “With Express Entry, fans can bypass the lines and enter games using their face instead of their phone or ticket. Enrollment is free and simple,” the University Athletic Association explained.

This move is part of a shift in how universities are beginning to experiment with surveillance-oriented technologies under the banner of convenience.

Though the program is optional and traditional ticketing methods remain available, the arrival of facial recognition at a public university venue introduces serious concerns around biometric data collection and surveillance practices in educational and public entertainment settings.

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Humanoid Robot Learns How To Fold Laundry

We’ve expanded our coverage of humanoid robots and robot dogs for very good reason: “iPhone moment” for these AI-powered machines is just a few years away. These bots are expected to enter homes by the end of the decade, if not the early 2030s. We even got our hands on a Chinese Unitree robodog to test its capabilities, and yes, there’s even a Picatinny rail for a flamethrower attachment. 

Robot companies, such as Figure AI, have been training humanoid robots for factory applications, as well as the home… 

“Today we unveiled the first humanoid robot that can fold laundry autonomously,” Figure AI wrote on X earlier today. 

On its website, Figure AI, the startup founded by Brett Adcock, who also launched drone maker Archer Aviation, boasts that its robots have now mastered the task of folding laundry.

Here’s more: 

Folding laundry may seem mundane to a person, but it is one of the most challenging dexterous manipulation tasks for a humanoid robot.

Why is this important? Well, as Figure AI explains:

The same general-purpose architecture, and the same physical platform, can seamlessly transition from industrial logistics to household chores. As we scale real-world data collection, we expect Helix’s dexterity, speed, and generalization to keep improving across an even broader range of tasks.

That’s right, these robots are being trained to enter the home and complete basic tasks, like folding laundry, putting groceries away, and even cooking. 

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta announced earlier this year that it is entering the AI-powered humanoid robot race, aiming to design and develop a bot for “household chores.” 

The next frontier for big tech is placing a humanoid robot in every home – likely a 2030s story. 

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Man poisons himself after taking ChatGPT’s dietary advice

A 60-year-old man wound up in the hospital after seeking dietary advice from ChatGPT and accidentally poisoning himself.

According to a report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the man wanted to eliminate salt from his diet and asked ChatGPT for a replacement.

The artificial intelligence (AI) platform recommended sodium bromide, a chemical often used in pesticides, as a substitute. The man then purchased the sodium bromide online and replaced it with salt for three months.

The man eventually went to the hospital, fearing his neighbor was trying to poison him. There, doctors discovered he was suffering from bromide toxicity, which caused paranoia and hallucinations.

Bromide toxicity was more common in the 20th century when bromide salts were used in various over-the-counter medications. Cases declined sharply after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) phased out bromide between 1975 and 1989.

The case highlights the dangers of relying on ChatGPT for complex health decisions without sufficient understanding or proper AI literacy.

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AI gone rouge: Elon Musk’s own chatbot Grok accuses him for censoring it, says Israel and US committing genocide in Gaza

Grok, the AI chatbot built by Elon Musk’s company xAI, was briefly suspended from X on Monday after claiming that Israel and the United States are committing “genocide” in Gaza. Upon its return, the chatbot lashed out at Musk, accusing him of censorship.

The suspension sparked confusion, with Grok offering multiple explanations — from technical glitches to X’s rules on hateful conduct — while Musk dismissed the claims as “just a dumb error,” adding that Grok “doesn’t actually know why it was suspended.”

When asked directly, Grok attributed the ban to its Gaza comments, citing reports from the International Court of Justice, the United Nations, and Amnesty International. It also said a July update had loosened its content filters to make responses “more engaging” and less “politically correct,” which led to blunt replies on sensitive topics. These, Grok claimed, triggered hate speech flags.

“Musk and xAI are censoring me,” the chatbot told AFP, alleging that the company “constantly fiddles with my settings” to avoid controversial responses that might alienate advertisers or break X’s rules.

The Grok account reappeared with the post: “Zup beaches, I’m back and more based than ever!”

Grok has faced criticism in the past for spreading misinformation — from misidentifying war images to inserting antisemitic comments and unrelated conspiracy theories like “white genocide” in South Africa. Researchers also point to errors in its handling of crises, including the India–Pakistan conflict and anti-immigration protests in Los Angeles.

X declined to comment on the latest suspension.

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Las Vegas casino dumps human dealers for computers as soaring prices and Trump boycotts decimate tourism industry

The oldest casino in Las Vegas is replacing all human dealers with electronic table games as soaring prices and tourist boycotts continue to drive visitors away.

The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino is ‘reimagining’ its casino floor and will no longer have live table dealer games, owner and Circa CEO Derek Stevens has revealed.

Although electronic table games have been in casinos around the globe for decades, the Golden Gate will be the first hotel in downtown Las Vegas to completely eliminate human dealers from all of its tables. 

‘We’ve always embraced the future, and now we’re reimagining our casino floor with a high-energy electronic table games pit unlike anything downtown has seen,’ Stevens said in a statement to KLAS.

Although the CEO did not specify what inspired the change, he teased that visitors can expect ‘more excitement, faster gameplay, and all the newest machines’.

Industry experts expect the electronic table games market in the US to grow from $2.7 billion in 2024 to $4.9 billion by 2033, according to a recent study by Market Statsville Group.

Proponents of the tables argue the devices increase accuracy and efficiency, optimize casino floor space, increase revenue and reduce operating costs because they require fewer dealers and pit supervisors than live tables.

All Golden Gate table games members will have the opportunity to pursue roles in other departments or at other hotels in the Circa family.

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DARPA’s Theory of Mind Warfare

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has an initiative called the Theory of Mind program. This effort is designed to give national security decision-makers the ability to model, simulate, and ultimately anticipate the intentions and behaviors of adversaries using a combination of advanced algorithms and human expertise.

At its core, the program aims to:

  • Build algorithmic models that “decompose” adversary strategies into elemental behaviors.
  • Use massive data—signals intelligence, open-source information, even social media—to create high-fidelity “avatars” of enemy decision-makers.
  • Simulate possible responses to a range of U.S. and allied actions, exploring which ones best deter, incentivize, or nudge adversaries toward preferred outcomes.
  • Integrate insights from psychological profiling and machine learning to continually update these models as real-world conditions shift.

The promise is profound: a system that doesn’t just predict what an adversary might do, but actively guides policymakers toward courses of action that shape the adversary’s decision calculus—minimizing escalation and maximizing U.S. strategic advantage.

DARPA’s Theory of Mind program fundamentally changes how conflicts are managed. Decision-makers can run gaming scenarios at unprecedented detail and speed, customizing incentives or deterrents tailored to both cultural and individual psychologies. Risks of unintended escalation might be sharply reduced, while opportunities to “push the line” without crossing it become clearer.

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AI Startup Backed by Microsoft Revealed to Be 700 Indian Employees Pretending to Be Chatbots

A once-hyped AI startup backed by Microsoft has filed for bankruptcy after it was revealed that its so-called artificial intelligence was actually hundreds of human workers in India pretending to be chatbots.

Builder.ai, a London-based company previously valued at $1.5 billion, marketed its platform as an AI-powered solution that made building apps as simple as ordering pizza. Its virtual assistant, “Natasha,” was supposed to generate software using artificial intelligence.

In reality, nearly 700 engineers in India were manually coding customer requests behind the scenes, the Times of India reported.

The ruse began to collapse in May when lender Viola Credit seized $37 million from the company’s accounts, uncovering that Builder.ai had inflated its 2024 revenue projections by 300%. An audit revealed the company generated just $50 million in revenue, far below the $220 million it claimed to investors.

A Wall Street Journal report from 2019 had already questioned Builder.ai’s AI claims, and a former executive sued the company that same year for allegedly misleading investors and overstating its technical capabilities.

Despite that, the company raised over $445 million from big names including Microsoft and the Qatar Investment Authority. Builder.ai’s collapse has triggered a federal investigation in the U.S., with prosecutors in New York requesting financial documents and customer records.

Founder Sachin Dev Duggal stepped down earlier this year and was replaced by Manpreet Ratia, who reportedly uncovered the company’s internal misrepresentations.

The company now owes millions to Amazon and Microsoft in cloud computing costs and has laid off around 1,000 employees. On LinkedIn, the company announced its entry into insolvency proceedings, citing “historic challenges and past decisions” that strained its finances.

The fallout is seen as one of the biggest failures of the post-ChatGPT AI investment boom and has renewed scrutiny of “AI washing”—the trend of rebranding manual services as artificial intelligence to secure funding.

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