Disruptive Technologies

Credit: Pixabay via Wikimedia Commons. CC0.

Scientists, businesspeople, professional forecasters predict differing worlds of 2052

By Fred Phillips, Brendan Monks, Ulrich Betz | Analysis, Disruptive Technologies

A US military artist's vision of laser weapons. Perhaps surprisingly, on Earth, the Pentagon is well on the way to making talking laser-formed plasma balls a reality. Credit: Defense Department via Wikimedia Commons.

The Pentagon’s getting closer to fielding talking lasers

By Matt Field | Disruptive Technologies, What We’re Reading

Illustration by Matt Field. Based in part on photo by Ulfbastel via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Digital authoritarianism and the threat to global democracy

By Justin Sherman | Disruptive Technologies, Voices of Tomorrow

Fake faces generated by the StyleGAN algorithm developed by Tero Karras, Samuli Laine, and Timo Aila at NVIDIA via Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West. CC-BY-NC 4.0.

University bullshit experts: Fake face software signals a new era of AI-based BS

By Matt Field | Artificial Intelligence, Disruptive Technologies

The Chinese city of Urumqi in Xinjiang. Credit: Alexander Flühmann via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ultrasounds and blood draws: An account of Chinese government oppression of the Uighurs

By Matt Field | Disruptive Technologies, What We’re Reading

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at G20 meeting, July 7, 2017

Pentagon report: Russian leaders believe they are already at war with the United States—in the gray zone

By Matt Field | Technology and Security, What We’re Reading

Illustration by Matt Field.

Laboratories in the cloud

By Filippa Lentzos, Cédric Invernizzi | Disruptive Technologies, Synthetic biology

The Russian Uran-9 is an armed robot. Credit: Dmitriy Fomin via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0.

In Syria, Russia found the chance to showcase its swagger–and its robot weapons

By Matt Field | Disruptive Technologies, What We’re Reading

A “Star Wars” sequel? The allure of directed energy for space weapons

By Jeff Hecht | Nuclear Weapons, Special Topics, Technology and Security

The existential threat from cyber-enabled information warfare

By Herbert Lin | Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Disruptive Technologies, Special Topics, Technology and Security

Why Star Wars should remain a cinematic fantasy

By John Mecklin | Nuclear Weapons, Special Topics, Technology and Security

An existential threat scorecard for the Democratic presidential debates

By John Mecklin, Thomas Gaulkin | Climate Change, Disruptive Technologies, Nuclear Risk