8 ms·

Not a lot of details in the article. I'm curious how 'AI' was actually used. Was it used to compensate for wind, distance, etc? Was it used to alert when the

Not a lot of details in the article. I'm curious how 'AI' was actually used. Was it used to compensate for wind, distance, etc? Was it used to alert when the target was in range? Was it allowed to automatically recognize the target and deliver a kill shot? Was it used to make sure no innocents were behind him? Why did the apparatus weigh over a ton? It was only a matter of time before this happened though. With off-the-shelf technology today, even lesser advanced nations, groups and even individuals could put something like this together. Throw in the skills of a more advanced nation, and you get something like this that works from a mile away and effectively destroys all trace of itself before anyone notices. Devices like this could lie in wait for years waiting for the target information to be passed to them. We live in interesting times.

benbenbenjerry 5y ago
The term AI was used by The Jerusalem Post in this article to get the attention of people in places like here to give the impression that Israel is technologically advanced and therefore should be more appealing than Iran.
- funerr 5y ago
  Your last comment implies that you know for sure that the JP wants to give an impression, which could be true, but I would be careful saying things like this with 100% certainty.
  - fidesomnes 5y ago
    or what?
secabeen 5y ago
The NYT article they're cribbing from has a lot more details, but yes, the AI was to compensate for wind, distance and latency to the operator: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/18/world/middleeast/iran-nuclear-fakhrizadeh-assassination-israel.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/18/world/middleeast/iran-nuc...
- neartheplain 5y ago
  Consumers can buy similar off-the-shelf "smart" rifle scopes, marketed primarily for hunting: >The Eliminator LaserScope is the most innovative and effective hunting riflescope in the world. With the push of a button, the Eliminator IV ranges and displays the distance to the target (factoring in angle). It instantly calculates and displays the exact aiming point and wind data all inside the scope for complete situational awareness. >The built-in laser rangefinder is now capable of ranging out to 2,000 yards. Trajectory compensation is accurate at any magnification, and the integrated inclinometer compensates for shots at any uphill or downhill angle. https://www.burrisoptics.com/scopes/laser-range-finding-eliminator-laserscope https://www.burrisoptics.com/scopes/laser-range-finding-elim...
  - cududa 5y ago
    Right but the actuator hardware stabilization includes a lot more like measuring and predicting preposition movements, calculating wind speed into the actuator, etc. This system gives a shooter the calibration data and they can adapt second to second. Replicating a brain for a truck mounted gun with a 1.5s latency is a 10x magnitude of complexity
    - 01100011 5y ago
      > 10x magnitude of complexity Yeah but if that 10x complexity jump is wrapped in an off-the-shelf facial recognition algorithm and some 30 year old motion control algorithms does it really matter?
- Zanni 5y ago
  https://web.archive.org/web/20210918090515/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/18/world/middleeast/iran-nuclear-fakhrizadeh-assassination-israel.html https://web.archive.org/web/20210918090515/https://www.nytim...
JackFr 5y ago
According to NYT article the AI was used to compensate for the movement of the truck from the guns recoil and the 1.5 second round trip latency to the operator. Again according to the NYT what was astonishing was the accuracy. Fifteen rounds were shot and no one other than the target was injured. Of course, take it all with a grain of salt, as both Iran and Israel have reasons to lie about what actually went down. Israel would rather everyone believe they’ve got super James Bond devices rather than moles in the Iranian intelligence and security apparatus. Weirdly, Iran would rather everyone believe that too.
- LewisVerstappen 5y ago
  Don't really know how to feel about this. On one hand, it could mean less collateral damage and fewer civilian casualties than drone strikes. Just yesterday, the US had a drone strike that killed 10 civilians. The military and administration proceeded to lie about the strike and pretend they hit the target, but they were called out by the NY Times and had to backtrack. We could see fewer civilian deaths with technology like this. On the other hand, this could reduce the "barrier to action" that countries have before they attempt a targeted killing. Which means even less "due process" for foreign internationals who are perceived to be enemies of the state. If the CIA thinks you're a threat, you're dead. Let's ignore the question of how good the CIA is at intelligence-gathering.
  - sudosysgen 5y ago
    It's not an either or. Israel has no ability to carry out drone strikes in Iran.
    - refurb 5y ago
      Why do you say that? Genuine question. Didn’t they bomb a launch pad a year or two back? If you can do it with manned aircraft you can do it with a drone.
      - sudosysgen 5y ago
suifbwish 5y ago
That “lie in wait for years” part is absolutely spine chilling

benbenbenjerry 5y ago

The term AI was used by The Jerusalem Post in this article to get the attention of people in places like here to give the impression that Israel is technologically advanced and therefore should be more appealing than Iran.

funerr 5y ago
Your last comment implies that you know for sure that the JP wants to give an impression, which could be true, but I would be careful saying things like this with 100% certainty.
- fidesomnes 5y ago
  or what?

secabeen 5y ago

The NYT article they're cribbing from has a lot more details, but yes, the AI was to compensate for wind, distance and latency to the operator: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/18/world/middleeast/iran-nuclear-fakhrizadeh-assassination-israel.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/18/world/middleeast/iran-nuc...

neartheplain 5y ago
Consumers can buy similar off-the-shelf "smart" rifle scopes, marketed primarily for hunting: >The Eliminator LaserScope is the most innovative and effective hunting riflescope in the world. With the push of a button, the Eliminator IV ranges and displays the distance to the target (factoring in angle). It instantly calculates and displays the exact aiming point and wind data all inside the scope for complete situational awareness. >The built-in laser rangefinder is now capable of ranging out to 2,000 yards. Trajectory compensation is accurate at any magnification, and the integrated inclinometer compensates for shots at any uphill or downhill angle. https://www.burrisoptics.com/scopes/laser-range-finding-eliminator-laserscope https://www.burrisoptics.com/scopes/laser-range-finding-elim...
- cududa 5y ago
  Right but the actuator hardware stabilization includes a lot more like measuring and predicting preposition movements, calculating wind speed into the actuator, etc. This system gives a shooter the calibration data and they can adapt second to second. Replicating a brain for a truck mounted gun with a 1.5s latency is a 10x magnitude of complexity
  - 01100011 5y ago
    > 10x magnitude of complexity Yeah but if that 10x complexity jump is wrapped in an off-the-shelf facial recognition algorithm and some 30 year old motion control algorithms does it really matter?
Zanni 5y ago
https://web.archive.org/web/20210918090515/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/18/world/middleeast/iran-nuclear-fakhrizadeh-assassination-israel.html https://web.archive.org/web/20210918090515/https://www.nytim...

JackFr 5y ago

According to NYT article the AI was used to compensate for the movement of the truck from the guns recoil and the 1.5 second round trip latency to the operator. Again according to the NYT what was astonishing was the accuracy. Fifteen rounds were shot and no one other than the target was injured. Of course, take it all with a grain of salt, as both Iran and Israel have reasons to lie about what actually went down. Israel would rather everyone believe they’ve got super James Bond devices rather than moles in the Iranian intelligence and security apparatus. Weirdly, Iran would rather everyone believe that too.

LewisVerstappen 5y ago
Don't really know how to feel about this. On one hand, it could mean less collateral damage and fewer civilian casualties than drone strikes. Just yesterday, the US had a drone strike that killed 10 civilians. The military and administration proceeded to lie about the strike and pretend they hit the target, but they were called out by the NY Times and had to backtrack. We could see fewer civilian deaths with technology like this. On the other hand, this could reduce the "barrier to action" that countries have before they attempt a targeted killing. Which means even less "due process" for foreign internationals who are perceived to be enemies of the state. If the CIA thinks you're a threat, you're dead. Let's ignore the question of how good the CIA is at intelligence-gathering.
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  It's not an either or. Israel has no ability to carry out drone strikes in Iran.
  - refurb 5y ago
    Why do you say that? Genuine question. Didn’t they bomb a launch pad a year or two back? If you can do it with manned aircraft you can do it with a drone.
    - sudosysgen 5y ago

suifbwish 5y ago

That “lie in wait for years” part is absolutely spine chilling