Feb 28, 2018

Democratic senator: Soon F-35 fighters won't have human pilots

Sen. Gary Peters and Mike Allen at an Axios event in Washington, D.C. Photo: Chuck Kennedy / Axios

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters told Axios’ Mike Allen Wednesday that a military general said “the F35 fighter that we’re building now will probably be the last aircraft fighter ever built that will have a human pilot.”

“Autonomy will start changing the face of warfare. You're going to have drones operating with autonomous function, perhaps autonomous tanks as well."
— Sen. Peters at an Axios event

Why it matters: “We lost more soldiers in logistics operations … than we did in combat in Afghanistan,” Sen. Peters said. “Great advances are being made in autonomy … to save soldiers’ lives.”

Go deeper

Inside hackers' pivot to medical espionage

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

A wave of cyber-spying around COVID-19 medical research is once more demonstrating the perils of treating cybersecurity as a separate, walled-off realm.

Driving the news: U.S. officials recently announced an uptick in Chinese-government affiliated hackers targeting medical research and other facilities in the United States for data on a potential COVID-19 cure or effective treatments to combat the virus. Additionally, “more than a dozen countries have redeployed military and intelligence hackers to glean whatever they can about other nations’ virus responses,” reports the New York Times.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow24 mins ago - Technology

The downsides of remote work

Data: Reproduced from Prudential/Morning Consult "Pulse of the American Worker Survey"; Chart: Axios Visuals

The coronavirus pandemic has forced a large-scale experiment in working from home. It has gone well enough that many companies are expanding their remote work expectations for the foreseeable future, and remote employees want to continue to work that way.

Yes, but: The downsides of remote work — less casual interaction with colleagues, an over-reliance on Zoom, lack of in-person collaboration and longer hours — could over time diminish the short-term gains.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow40 mins ago - Economy & Business

Hong Kong's economic future hangs in the balance

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

As Beijing forces a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, the once semi-autonomous city's status as one of Asia's largest financial hubs is at risk.

Why it matters: Political freedoms and strong rule of law helped make Hong Kong a thriving center for international banking and finance. But China's leaders may be betting that top firms in Hong Kong will trade some political freedoms for the economic prosperity Beijing can offer.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow45 mins ago - Economy & Business