The startup making drone-killing robots:Anduril, the secretive defense tech startup valued at $1 billion, works with the government to build surveillance systems on military bases and along the Mexican border. Now, however, it’s getting into the hot-button issue of developing automated weapons. As the pace of innovation accelerates, the startup will have to navigate ethical implications surrounding the dehumanization of decision-making, the use of surveillance to collect mass amounts of data, and the deployment of AI-based weaponry. Can it succeed in the face of political bureaucracy and public mistrust of the government? (Bloomberg) “How is it there’s so many billionaires and no Iron Man?”
Top Gun. China celebrated 70 years of Communist Party rule on October 1 with a military parade that showcased a variety of cutting-edge military tech. On display was a stealth combat drone, which is thought to have a longer flight range than fighter jets; a hypersonic missile, which can evade current anti-missile systems; and an ICBM with an estimated range over 7,500 miles. Fortune