A drone that can select and engage targets on its own attacked soldiers during a civil conflict in Libya.
Why it matters: If confirmed, it would likely represent the first-known case of a machine-learning-based autonomous weapon being used to kill, potentially heralding a dangerous new era in warfare.
Most small business stories from the pandemic are about about pivoting or perishing, but there's also been an unexpected surge in new small business creation. One example is Agua Bonita, a canned beverage company that launched last year after both of its co-founders were laid off.
Axios Re:Cap talks with Agua Bonita co-founder Kayla Castañeda and Techstars founder David Cohen about what it was like for startups over the past 14 months, and what recovery means for businesses that didn't exist before COVID-19. Plus, a conversation with Wall Drug proprietor Rick Hustead.
Big games beget big leaks, especially this time of year when the gaming industry’s porous promotional machinery is revving up for the E3 trade show.
Driving the news: It happened again Thursday when eight minutes of Ubisoft's upcoming "Far Cry 6" leaked online, a day before it was supposed to appear. It was deleted in minutes, but thousands still saw it.
"Mass Effect: Legendary Edition" modders are creating queer romance options that wouldn't exist in-game otherwise
Why it matters: Relationships and romance are a huge draw in "Mass Effect," and players are creating a more inclusive experience. Although "Mass Effect" includes same-sex pairing for the female Shepard with Liara, and "Mass Effect 3" added several explicitly gay characters for players to romance, there's still a lack of options for players who want to have same-sex relationship in-game.
A new quantum algorithm could eventually make it easier for banks to manage the systemic risk that helped bring down the financial system more than a decade ago.
Why it matters: Major financial institutions spend huge computing resources in calculating the systemic risk that may be contained in their portfolios. Replacing classical computing with a quantum architecture could allow them to do it faster and cheaper.
President Biden's plan to boost broadband across the country could also be a boon to Google's internet ambitions.
Why it matters: Biden wants to invest billions in building "future-proof" networks to connect all Americans, using a technology that Google previously struggled to deploy widely.
Elements of the bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, a sweeping China-related package that could be approved by the Senate as soon as Friday, could help address the chip shortage in the form of an emergency appropriation.
Why it matters: Production of everything from electronics and appliances to cars has been slowed down because of the shortage, which is expected to last until 2023.
The same Russian hackers behind the massive SolarWinds breach have launched a new wave of cyberattacks targeting government agencies, think tanks, consultants and NGOs, Microsoft disclosed late Thursday night.
Why it matters: The revelation of the ongoing attack comes less than two months after the U.S. imposed sanctions and expelled Russian diplomats in response to the SolarWinds hack, described by Microsoft as the "most sophisticated attack the world has ever seen."
/2021/05/28/1622201039407.gif?w=3840)
