4 ms·

Planted bomb, remote control and AI: How the Mossad killed Hamas' leader in Iran

15 points by mikhael 2y ago

dredmorbius 2y ago
Israel's capacity to reach out and touch someone, to know where and when to do so, and to have intimate access, is extraordinary.
- watercool 2y ago
  [dead]
- baldgeek 2y ago
  indeed it is. I have read about cases where they have intercepted a target's cell phone at a repair shop and had it modified with an explosive device, then used it after the target had the phone back in their posession.
cirrus3 2y ago
> They added that the bomb was a high-tech device that used artificial intelligence. Curious what exactly this means.
- xenospn 2y ago
  Sounds like spy marketing to me.
chasd00 2y ago
ftfa "They added that the bomb was a high-tech device that used artificial intelligence." really curious about the AI part of this. Maybe it had a camera and detonated when it identified the target by facial recognition? "AI" is used to mean so many things, many readers will associate this with something like chatgpt where it doesn't remotely make sense. I think the authors are doing that on purpose. I've listened to a NYT "The Daily" news podcasts about drones used in the Ukraine war and the authors were intentionally using the "AI" umbrella to draw a parallel between something like target identification in weapons and LLMs like chatgpt. the only rational reason to do that is to stoke fear/anxiety in their listeners. The journalists are plenty smart to know "AI" means many many things and they should qualify how they're using the terms so the newspiece can make sense.
- xenospn 2y ago
  If it was detonated remotely like the article says, there’s no need for any fancy bomb.
- cirrus3 2y ago
  Exactly.. I feel like "AI" is starting to get used for things that in the past may have simply been referred to as "sensors". Even things like identifying objects in video is a stretch to call "AI" at this point.
  - xtiansimon 2y ago
    > ‘… "AI" is starting to get used for things that in the past may have simply been referred to as "sensors".’ Lol. Maybe AI “consciousness” starts with humans giving myth to the reality. Or maybe “AI” just captures all that sensors and radio frequency and algorithms ideas boosting stocks at the same time—all with the economy of two letters. Now I’m going back to scrolling Instagram…
mmh0000 2y ago
Not the first time Isreal has used "AI" weapons. "A satellite-controlled machine-gun with "artificial intelligence" was used to kill Iran's top nuclear scientist, a Revolutionary Guards commander says." [1] [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55214359 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55214359
ChrisArchitect 2y ago
Actual article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/world/middleeast/how-hamas-leader-haniyeh-killed-iran-bomb.html https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/world/middleeast/how-hama...

15 points by mikhael 2y ago

Israel's capacity to reach out and touch someone, to know where and when to do so, and to have intimate access, is extraordinary.

watercool 2y ago
[dead]
baldgeek 2y ago
indeed it is. I have read about cases where they have intercepted a target's cell phone at a repair shop and had it modified with an explosive device, then used it after the target had the phone back in their posession.

cirrus3 2y ago

> They added that the bomb was a high-tech device that used artificial intelligence. Curious what exactly this means.

xenospn 2y ago
Sounds like spy marketing to me.

chasd00 2y ago

ftfa "They added that the bomb was a high-tech device that used artificial intelligence." really curious about the AI part of this. Maybe it had a camera and detonated when it identified the target by facial recognition? "AI" is used to mean so many things, many readers will associate this with something like chatgpt where it doesn't remotely make sense. I think the authors are doing that on purpose. I've listened to a NYT "The Daily" news podcasts about drones used in the Ukraine war and the authors were intentionally using the "AI" umbrella to draw a parallel between something like target identification in weapons and LLMs like chatgpt. the only rational reason to do that is to stoke fear/anxiety in their listeners. The journalists are plenty smart to know "AI" means many many things and they should qualify how they're using the terms so the newspiece can make sense.

xenospn 2y ago
If it was detonated remotely like the article says, there’s no need for any fancy bomb.
cirrus3 2y ago
Exactly.. I feel like "AI" is starting to get used for things that in the past may have simply been referred to as "sensors". Even things like identifying objects in video is a stretch to call "AI" at this point.
- xtiansimon 2y ago
  > ‘… "AI" is starting to get used for things that in the past may have simply been referred to as "sensors".’ Lol. Maybe AI “consciousness” starts with humans giving myth to the reality. Or maybe “AI” just captures all that sensors and radio frequency and algorithms ideas boosting stocks at the same time—all with the economy of two letters. Now I’m going back to scrolling Instagram…

mmh0000 2y ago

Not the first time Isreal has used "AI" weapons. "A satellite-controlled machine-gun with "artificial intelligence" was used to kill Iran's top nuclear scientist, a Revolutionary Guards commander says." [1] [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55214359 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55214359

ChrisArchitect 2y ago

Actual article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/world/middleeast/how-hamas-leader-haniyeh-killed-iran-bomb.html https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/world/middleeast/how-hama...