US to embed Palantir AI across military

(thecradle.co)

28 points | by gravisultra 7 hours ago

6 comments

  • dtagames 4 hours ago
    It's software that lets you move people from a video feed, to a kanban "target" board, to a grave.

    Is this what we wanted from our tech careers? I'm just old enough to remember when we thought tech would help people; not just help kill them.

    • siva7 4 hours ago
      The most brilliant minds of this generation work on ads, crypto gambling and assassination systems.
    • AndrewKemendo 2 hours ago
      If you work in technology you do both

      There are no technologies that aren’t used to both kill and help

  • bjconlan 5 hours ago
    I'm curious as to how Palantir has been used during the war or Iran (if at all or does it suffer from subjective bias). I know there were larger movements at play on a political level here but I'm becoming concerned about how much one "thought group" (in private corps) is having on the world's largest war machine. might be dulling critical thinking.
    • dtagames 4 hours ago
      The term "Merchants of Death" comes to mind. Easy kills, done dirt cheap, appeals to state level despots.
    • itsalwaysgood 4 hours ago
      You must be trolling. Did you read the article?
  • siva7 4 hours ago
    > During the first 24 hours of the war, the US military struck more than 1,000 targets in Iran with the help of AI, as the Palantir software recommended 42 targets per hour.

    Impressive, although this could lead to collateral damage. I hope Maven won't turn against its creators someday.

    • gravisultra 3 hours ago
      The first target struck in Iran was a girls school.
      • rasz 2 hours ago
        Wasnt first, and was on a former military base lot in a former military building. Someone carved a corner of an active military base and decided to host children there.

        Imagine US claiming terrorist civilian attack after someone shoots a rocket into Fort McNair and a child dies.

      • beloch 2 hours ago
        We saw this in Gaza with the IDF's use of "Lavender" and "Where's Daddy". The IDF dehumanized their opponents to the point that, if a computer said "Kill", they didn't ask questions.

        Soldiers are supposed to be liable for carrying out illegal orders, even if given by an AI. It's disturbing that nobody has been held accountable for bombing a school so far. The U.S. military's approach to investigating their own is apparently similar to that of the IDF.

        ---------------

        "A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other invention with the possible exceptions of handguns and Tequila." -- Mitch Ratcliffe

        ---------------

        This quote is now badly out of date. A computer running an AI and an unquestioning human flying a bomber now vastly outstrip what handguns and tequila are capable of. Just wait until autonomous drones are used to cut humans out of the loop entirely!

      • trvth-nvke 2 hours ago
        [flagged]
  • SilverElfin 6 hours ago
    They’re trying to rush this integration as widely to make Palantir too critical to walk away for when the administrations change.
  • ChrisArchitect 2 hours ago
  • borissk 7 hours ago
    Interesting. When reading dystopian SciFi books, about a future where big corporations are above state governments and dominate the world I couldn't quite believe it. But such future becomes a lot more believable now.
    • isjdjwjdiej 6 hours ago
      > I couldn't quite believe it

      Not sure how that was ever unbelievable to you. Governments are and have always been relics of the past. Systems that we all tolerate because removing them would be too big a hassle for most people who are simply content enough with things the way they are—and without the people these systems continue to endure.

      It has always been a matter of time before a system more all-encompassing encompassed governments as well. Naive to think otherwise.

    • kgwxd 5 hours ago
      It's frustrating as hell to hear this from people. I still get that glimmer of hope that people are coming around when they say it, then they just double-down on dismissing it as an overreaction.
    • oro44 3 hours ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_India_Company

      Some companies used to have a full-blown army: "...twice the size of the British Army at certain times.[5]"

      Before being nationalised of course. Nationalisation is always the end-game when a corporation becomes too powerful.