"zero-error policy" as described here is a remarkable euphemism. You might hope that the policy is not to make any errors. In fact the policy is not to acknowledge that errors can occur!
'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing in Gaza
101–110 of 1001 posts
Re: 'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing in Gaza
#102[deleted]
Re: 'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing in Gaza
#103The Guardian has this story on the front page also, they were given details about it pre-publishing,
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/03/israel-gaza-ai...
And, personally, I think that stories like this are of public interest - while I won’t ask for it directly, I hope the flag is removed and the discussion can happen.
Re: 'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing in Gaza
#104AI generated kill lists are sadly inevitable. Had hoped we'd get a few more years before we'd actually see it being deployed. Lots to think about here
Such things have been around for at least a decade. It didn't start with the same kind of AI that's being talked about recently, but there is a large automated scoring component: "Targets are often chosen based on metadata."
Re: 'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing in Gaza
#105The difference between previously revealed 'Gospel' and this 'Lavender' is revealed here:
> "The Lavender machine joins another AI system, “The Gospel,” about which information was revealed in a previous investigation by +972 and Local Call in November 2023, as well as in the Israeli military’s own publications. A fundamental difference between the two systems is in the definition of the target: whereas The Gospel marks buildings and structures that the army claims militants operate from, Lavender marks people — and puts them on a kill list."
It's one thing to use these systems to mine data on human populations for who might be in the market for a new laptop, so they can be targeted with advertisements - it's quite different to target people with bombs and drones based on this technology.
Re: 'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing in Gaza
#106[flagged]
Similar submission was flagged. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39917727 I find the AI angle fascinating, but I suppose the comments become inflammatory fast.
It's not as much about the comments as it is about Israel. Anything putting them in bad light gets insta-flagged and HN moderation is ok with this. For example, I give my own comment 5 minutes max.
Re: 'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing in Gaza
#107AI generated kill lists are sadly inevitable. Had hoped we'd get a few more years before we'd actually see it being deployed. Lots to think about here
I don't know about kill lists, but AI weapons kinda make sense.
No weapons are nice, but if the good guys don't develop AI weapons, the bad guys will.
From what I gather, many US engineers are morally opposed to them. But if China develops them and gets into a war with the US, will Americans be happy to lose knowing that they have the moral high ground?
Re: 'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing in Gaza
#108Years ago, scholars (such as Didier Bigo) have already raised concerns about the targeting of individuals merely based on (indirect) association with a "terrorist" or "criminal". Originally used in the context of surveillance (see Snowden revelations), such systems would target anyone who would be e.g. less than 3-steps away from an identified individual, thereby removing any sense of due process or targeted surveillance. Now, such AI systems are being used to actually kill people - instead of just surveil.
IHL actually prohibits the killing of persons who are not combatants or "fighters" of an armed group. Only those who have the "continuous function" to "directly participate in hostilities"[1] may be targeted for attack at any time. Everyone else is a civilian that can only be directly targeted when and for as long as they directly participate in hostilities, such as by taking up arms, planning military operations, laying down mines, etc.
That is, only members of the armed wing of Hamas (not recruiters, weapon manufacturers, propagandists, financiers, …) can be targeted for attack - all the others must be arrested and/or tried. Otherwise, the allowed list of targets of civilians gets so wide than in any regular war, pretty much any civilian could get targeted, such as the bank employee whose company has provided loans to the armed forces.
Lavender is so scary because it enables Israel's mass targeting of people who are protected against attack by international law, providing a flimsy (political but not legal) justification for their association with terrorists.
[1]: https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/other/icrc-002-0990...
Re: 'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing in Gaza
#109I wonder how accurate this technology really is or if they care so little for the results and instead more for the optics of being seen as advanced. On one hand, it’s scary to think this technology exists but on the other, it might just be a pile of junk since the output is so biased. What’s even scarier is that it’s proof that people in power don’t care about “correct”, they care about having a justification to confirm their biases. It’s always been the case but it’s even more damming this extends to AI. Previously, you were limited by how many humans can lie but now you’re limited by how fast your magic black box runs.
Re: 'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing in Gaza
#110[flagged]
This is also reported on by The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/03/israel-gaza-ai...