FUTURES OF DEFENCE & SECURITY

For more than 13 years, NATO has conducted cyber wargames that simulate complex decision-making in cyberspace. The focus, along with the invitation list, has widened to include all forms of cybersecurity, and in 2020, white-hat hackers were included for the first time.

While the value of data is rising, the loss of privacy in the digital era is becoming a reality. But giving up personal data requires trust: consumers need to be able to trust organisations to handle their data ethically and keep it safe from hackers, and other cyber threats – but also from the more obscure purposes organisations themselves might have.

Last-mile delivery usually refers to the transportation of goods from a transportation hub (such as a warehouse) to the final destination (consumer's homes). It might not sound like an area that particularly favors a lot of innovation – but it does. In this article, we explore why it matters.

According to the Nature, there are around 3 trillion trees throughout our planet. That's about half the number of trees we had 12,000 years ago. And we chop down 15 billion more trees every year. That's without a doubt a lot. But these tree-planting drones could help us get some of it back.

For many, Africa may seem like a continent with a sealed fate. But Africa is a vast continent, replete with nations growing and developing rapidly. Despite challenges that continue to assail it, Africa seems set to play an increasing role in world affairs. The question is, will African nations be able to follow the example of many Asian nations and do it sooner rather than later?

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have come to stay. And they promise to revolutionize several industries. But, like every other technology with the potential to significantly change things around us, it doesn't come without some risks. One, in particular, is terrifying to think about: drone attacks.

It would be a stretch to say that airplane wings haven't changed much over the years. But to the less careful observer, at least aesthetically, that's what it seems like. But that could be all about to change, as NASA just tested airplane wings that fold up and down - much like bird wings.

No one can read minds. But the incredible progress we have made with technology may soon change this. Brain-machine interfaces are continuously improving and offer great potential. In essence, they could change how we interact with the world around us. Let's have a look at some developments that provide an extraordinary example of this.

China is planning to launch a Social Credit Score (SCS) system that ranks its 1.3 billion residents according their trustworthiness by 2020. It has been called as a futuristic version of Big Brother as it uses large variety of data to monitor and evaluate its citizens’ behaviour. How would you feel if your trustworthiness was publicly measured with a single algorithm-based score?

Drones originally surfaced for military purposes. However, since their introduction, they have rapidly expanded to other areas, such as entertainment, supply chains, rescue missions, and so on. Despite still being strangled by regulation in many countries, this is expected to be loosened. After that, it's a world of opportunities.

Elon Musk, Tesla Motors and Space X visionary, said that humans must become cyborgs if they are to continue to add value to the economy and stay relevant in a world of increasingly powerful AI. However, many people still flinch at the idea of a world of cybernetic organisms, where humans enhance their abilities by integrating artificial material or technology into their bodies.

In 2016 a massive cyber attack was carried out by code that was stored in compromised Internet connected devices such as security cameras. As The Internet of Things expands to our homes, the likelihood of our devices being hacked is a real concern. Every connected home will need a sturdy firewall, but how many will think about it when buying a WiFi coffee machine?

A UK-based company D30 has developed a gel with amazing shock-absorbing abilities. The gel reacts to impacts by turning from soft and flexible material to hard protective armour. The technology is already utilised in several industries from sports to defence to help people avoid severe injuries.

For over a decade website visitors needed to prove being a human by clicking a checkbox or solving simple challenges called Captchas. Google’s evolved service, invisible reCAPTCHA, can now perform the check-up automatically by recognising humans based on their online behaviour. This is yet another algorithmic surveillance we wilfully submit to.

When there will be cars without drivers, it is inevitable that all vehicles on the road will be monitored, and if necessary, taken over by software that runs the entire road traffic system. Where there is software, there will be hackers, who can hack the cars, and what the car AI thinks are roads.

A key inventor of the WWW, Tim Berners-Lee is concerned about the current state of the Internet. According to Berners-Lee, three trends threaten the Internet; people have lost control over their personal data, misinformation spreads fast, and political advertising lacks transparency.

Artificial intelligence gets its fair share of bad rap, usually in the form of dire warnings. But AI is a tool, and whether it is used for good or evil, depends on who is using it. In this article, we look at AI and fraud, showing that AI can both help us protect against it, and help those who want commit it better.