Lifeboat Foundation

Can machines make moral choices?

A massive new survey developed by MIT researchers reveals some distinct global preferences concerning the ethics of autonomous vehicles, as well as some regional variations in those preferences.

The survey has global reach and a unique scale, with over 2 million online participants from over 200 countries weighing in on versions of a classic ethical conundrum, the “Trolley Problem.” The problem involves scenarios in which an accident involving a vehicle is imminent, and the vehicle must opt for one of two potentially fatal options. In the case of driverless cars, that might mean swerving toward a couple of people, rather than a large group of bystanders.

Continue reading “A self-driving car can choose who dies in a fatal crash. These are the ethical considerations” »

On #NewYearsEve, our New Horizons spacecraft will fly within 2,220 miles of this object, providing the first close-up look at such a pristine building block of the solar system. Get the latest update: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/

Power suits, robotaxis, Leonardo da Vinci mania—just a few of the things to look out for in 2019. But what else will make our top ten stories for the year ahead?

Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube: https://econ.st/2xvTKdy

Continue reading “What will be the biggest stories of 2019? | Part One | The Economist” »

The Space Force would constitute the sixth branch of the US armed forces.

The news: During a meeting with the National Space Council today, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Defense and the Pentagon to begin work on the creation of the Space Force. He stated, “‘We are going to have the Air Force and we’re going to have the Space Force, separate but equal.”

Some background: This isn’t the first time Trump has brought up this idea. He has continued to express interest in the idea during visits to West Point and in speeches to military members.

Continue reading “Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to create the US Space Force” »

2019 is off to a great start.

A Danish startup called Organic Basics claims its underwear will remain fresh through weeks of wear, eliminating the need for frequent washing.

And this could be a boon for the environment — if it’s actually true.

Continue reading “Underwear You Can Wear For Weeks at a Time Without Smell Is Finally Here, Start-Up Claims” »

A computing system that mimics neural processing could make artificial intelligence more efficient — and more human.

Anthropologist Alice Roberts and a team of SFX model makers designed the “perfect human,” and it’s fucked up.

People (including myself) love slow-motion videos and we also tend to love watching things being destroyed. Lawnmowers are really, really good at destroying things, but capturing its destructive power with a high-speed lens isn’t the easiest thing in the world… unless you flip it upside down and strap the camera right to the blade.

Now, I wouldn’t want to be the one to tackle such a project, but the good news is that a YouTuber by the name of Tesla500 has already done all the hard work. The over 20-minute-long video shows the building of the rig itself as well as lots and lots of random household objects meeting their end in super slow motion.

U.S. Geological Survey says it was magnitude 7.0. No casualties have been reported. On Dec. 22, a tsunami, likely caused by the volcano Anak Krakatau, hit Indonesia and killed about 430 people.