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The US Army wants us to pretend autonomous tanks aren’t killer robots

Mar05
by on March 5, 2019 at 7:40 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, artificial intelligence, Opinion


There’s been a recent hullabaloo over the US Army developing killer robots, but we’re here to set you straight. The Pentagon’s official stance: it’s all false. There’s no such thing as killer robots; you’re drunk. The US Army‘s “Advanced Targeting and Lethality Automated System” (ATLAS) project isn’t what you think. I know it sounds bad, but if you ignore every other word it’s actually quite palatable. “Advanced and Automated” sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Those are probably the only words you should focus on. The US Army just happens to be simultaneously developing “optionally-manned” tanks and soliciting white papers for a…

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The next chapter for TNW: Financial Times acquires a majority stake in TNW

Mar05
by on March 5, 2019 at 5:16 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider


March 2006, Boris and I decided to organize a small get-together for the few people that were working in tech – or ‘Web 2.0’, as we called it at the time. We registered a domain (thenextweb.org), created a logo, wrote some copy, reserved a venue, and pinged Michael Arrington (founder of TechCrunch) to see if he wanted to speak at our ‘conference’ in Amsterdam. Michael agreed the same day, so we pushed the site online and were in business. Ten weeks later, 280 people showed up. Today, almost exactly 13 years later, we’re happy and proud to announce that the…

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Foldable phones are a gimmick that won’t last. Here’s why.

Mar05
by on March 5, 2019 at 5:13 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Contributors, Podium


Are you planning on getting a foldable phone in the near future? If you’ve been watching tech news at all, you’ve likely heard about folding smartphones coming to market—just around the corner. For example, the Samsung Galaxy X is going to feature what it calls an “Infinity Flex Display,” which is an awful fancy phrase for a folding screen. LG might be entering the fray as well, and its technology could be integrated with other phone makers, including Huawei. The parade of new announcements is unlikely to stop, and by the end of 2019, you’ll have at least one friend…

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Study: Nearly half of all Americans have a family member who’s been incarcerated

Mar05
by on March 5, 2019 at 5:10 pm
Posted In: Around the Web


A team of researchers at the University of Cornell recently conducted a study on incarceration rates in the US. It was discovered that nearly half of all Americans have a family member who’s been incarcerated. The other half probably just had better lawyers. The US has the world’s largest prison industrial complex. Our incarcerated population is nearly twice that of China’s, and almost thrice Russia‘s. And we imprison people at an incredibly high rate: 737 inmates per 100,000 citizens. No other nation on Earth comes close. The interdisciplinary Cornell research team developed and administered the Family History of Incarceration Survey,…

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Attend TNW2019 for just €149 if you’re a woman in tech

Mar05
by on March 5, 2019 at 4:16 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Events, Insider


We’re making great strides towards diversity in the tech industry, and while it’s clear that we’re not quite there yet, the future is increasingly female. As we explore the next few years of tech innovation, it’s important that women are part of the conversation – so that it’s a future we’ll all be proud of. That’s why women in tech can register for a discounted ticket to TNW2019, our technology conference in Amsterdam, in partnership with TheNextWomen and Startup Amsterdam. On May 9 and 10, we’ll bring together the brightest minds in the industry, through inspiring keynotes, in-depth roundtable discussions,…

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