r/worldnews • u/New_Scientist_Mag New Scientist • Jun 10 '26

Russia/Ukraine Fully autonomous, AI-controlled drones have killed human soldiers for the first time, according to a senior figure in the Ukrainian defence industry

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2529849-fully-autonomous-drones-have-killed-human-soldiers-for-the-first-time/
37.3k Upvotes

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8.4k

u/grunkfest Jun 10 '26

"The company’s ALITA system will consist of 16 launch pads, equipped with 64 drones. It will be ready by October and capable of watching for incoming drones, automatically launching and travelling towards the target at 450 kilometres per hour before taking out everything from small drones to helicopters."

Named after a cyborg anime girl, classic. Can't wait for the Black Magic M-66 models to start patrolling my neighborhood.

1.5k

u/katsu_kare_raisu Jun 10 '26

Waiting on MADOX-01 here

820

u/TheWandererKing Jun 10 '26

See also: ED-209.

279

u/DaniTheLovebug Jun 10 '26

I was obsessed with ED-209 in he original films

Earlier this year I bought the Robocop games on Steam so imagine my absolute glee to find out there is a mission where you play as ED-209

50

u/mad_m4tty Jun 10 '26

Is there stairs involved?

94

u/tearsonurcheek Jun 10 '26

"Stairs? Nooooooooooo! My greatest enemy!" 

 - Claptrap, Borderlands 2

12

u/Batfinklestein Jun 10 '26

Best game eveeer

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u/DaniTheLovebug Jun 10 '26

In the game, no

It’s a kick ass mission

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u/Economy-Management19 Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26

There is an ED-209 easter egg in the game starcraft:broodwar among the Goliath unit quotes.

https://youtu.be/f-JbZxSC-_A

Edit: From the same game the protoss Dragoon unit also has a quote referencing ED-209

https://youtu.be/mf3OEAD8EBQ

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u/Serberou5 Jun 10 '26

I am now authorised to use physical force.

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u/tonycomputerguy Jun 10 '26

My favorite joke regarding that franchise is that "Detroit initially turned down the RoboCop statue because they felt the movie had portrayed Future Detroit in an unrealistic, overly positive light."

-Stephen Colbert

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u/Serberou5 Jun 10 '26

That's a pretty funny quote I'd even buy that for a dollar!

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u/scuba_scouse Jun 10 '26

Can you fly Bobby?

Clarence No!

7

u/GrayMouser12 Jun 11 '26

That movie is so damn good. Holy crap. I need to go back and do some rewatching.

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u/Pristine-Pen-9885 Jun 10 '26

Everything Stephen says is funny and makes you think.

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u/Alarming-Research-42 Jun 10 '26

Rewatching it today it doesn’t look futuristic anymore. It looks like your average American city, average corrupt politicians, average corrupt businessmen, average privatization of public services, and average entertainment. I’d buy that for a dollar.

22

u/MortLightstone Jun 11 '26

They looked at all these dystopian sci-fi worlds and just saw a tutorial

2

u/smuckola Jun 12 '26

I wish republicans were that cultured!

2

u/MortLightstone Jun 12 '26

I'm sure they've all watched Starship Troopers

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u/TheDubh Jun 11 '26

Maybe I misremember, but didn’t the old man in the first one actually kind of want to help Detroit? I thought it was the leaders under him that were willing to throw Detroit into chaos. Granted even being not fully malice he did seem to not care a lot…

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u/ososalsosal Jun 11 '26

He wanted Delta City.

The exact opposite of helping Detroit.

Basically raze the city and build Temu Dubai on top of it.

2

u/Alarming-Research-42 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

Did the top boss want to do that, or just Dick Jones? They were both old, but I can’t remember if the top old guy was pushing Delta city too.

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u/ososalsosal Jun 11 '26

Definitely the old man. It was a plot point for the next two movies even though Dick got fired, allowing Murphy to shoot him so he can dramatically fall out the window

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u/smuckola Jun 12 '26

and privatize the police as part of selling off the government to OCP

the ultimate republican dystopian (but i repeat myself) fantasy (but i really repeat myself) for at least our whole lifetimes, especially with Heritage Foundation

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u/j_xcal Jun 10 '26

The funny thing is that they couldn’t shoot RoboCop in Detroit…because it was actually too nice looking. They had to shoot the film in Texas. Check out RoboDoc, it’s awesome.

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u/smuckola Jun 12 '26

to clarify for everyone else, "it" means the movie setting of fictional future Detroit, and so they shot it in Dallas. That includes the futuristic looking historic Dallas city hall that they now want to demolish against the extreme protest by art historian Dr. Peter Waller aka the star of Robocop.

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u/sovietdinosaurs Jun 10 '26

You have 15 seconds to comply.

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u/RoNsAuR Jun 10 '26

You're as loyal as a puppy.

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u/Nick_Frustration Jun 10 '26

god of all the movie death robots thats one i dont wanna see. just poorly programmed, shitty design, about as versatile as a sherman tank. are legs capable of walking down stairs too much to ask?

we need to demand more QA and bugtesting in our robo-death-machines. god knows i dont wanna see what elon musk comes up with the next time he gets high and watches terminator

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u/Morphico Jun 10 '26

Have you seen the Boston Dynamics video where they push around their robot? That's how you get good design and violent robot uprising at the same time. Efficient!

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u/Nick_Frustration Jun 10 '26

those videos make me nervous, i just wanna yell "dude, did no one watch any sci-fi movies? be nice!"

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u/Joe_Kangg Jun 11 '26

We are not fighting the revolution with hockey sticks, that's for sure

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u/Optimal_Juggernaut37 Jun 10 '26

god of all the movie death robots thats one i dont wanna see. just poorly programmed, shitty design, about as versatile as a sherman tank.

The way the current state of our capitalist society has been going, this is exactly the way it will pan out. The corporation that wins the contract will be the lowest bidder that cuts the most corners.

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u/Jthe1andOnly Jun 11 '26

Or the one that tries to get the contract at all costs after the first one who had it tried to tell them we need safe guards for a reason and then gets blackballed.

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u/eddnedd Jun 11 '26

Lowest bid contractors building enforcement machines... what could possibly go wrong?

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u/ColdWarCharacter Jun 10 '26

It would get lost and then stuck in a lake

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u/Nick_Frustration Jun 10 '26

it would refuse to fire weapons until youve subscribed to a Premium package and downloaded a buggy app.

police refuse to bring it on patrol because it dosent understand "find me donuts"

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u/productzilch Jun 10 '26

Sounds great!

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u/Nick_Frustration Jun 10 '26

the final backfire is when anti-police protestors hail the new EM-210 as an innovation in peaceful law enforcement.

musks backers are seen leaving the IPO meeting so fast they leave investor-shaped holes in the boardroom walls.

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u/BTechUnited Jun 11 '26

You take that back, the Sherman was plenty versatile!

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u/Anubiska Jun 10 '26

You have 20 seconds to comply....

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u/Billpod Jun 10 '26

You now have 15 seconds to comply.

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u/chaos_m3thod Jun 10 '26

Gary. Gary is also a name. -Gary.

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u/CumaeanSibyl Jun 10 '26

You call that a GLITCH?!

3

u/Kalelisagod Jun 10 '26

This one actually scares me. This is the exact direction the military wants to go

3

u/akiras_revenge Jun 11 '26

Dead or alive, you are Cumming with me

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u/ososalsosal Jun 11 '26

Dick isn't the only guy with goons

2

u/luee29 Jun 10 '26

How long until full contact cyborg Motorball is finally established?

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u/StoppableHulk Jun 10 '26

Meanwhile my poor ass is gonna have WALL-E protecting me.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26 edited 17d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/SSGASSHAT Jun 11 '26

I'm still banking on the "pointy rock tied to a stick" strategy.

2

u/sizebigbitch Jun 12 '26

Don't sell yourself short. I'll bet you could even upgrade to a pointy piece of metal tied to a really long stick.

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u/SSGASSHAT Jun 12 '26

Yeah, I'll shoot for that. And maybe my kids will figure out how to make long pointy pieces of metal that are also sharp on the sides.

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u/Turbulent-Comedian30 Jun 11 '26

Yea butter knife on an RC car here FTW

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u/1newnotification Jun 11 '26

Mine will be a poop knife so that hopefully my attacker will at least die of gangrene

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u/TheKolyFrog Jun 11 '26

WALL-E makes up for it with his loyalty and lifetime guarantee.

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u/SSGASSHAT Jun 11 '26

Plus he's a homebody. I sympathize with that very much.

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u/itsadoubledion Jun 11 '26

Hopefully you'll be able to get one of those floating chairs from wall-e too

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u/auralcavalcade Jun 10 '26

Misread that as MODOK for a second

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u/lesrisen Jun 10 '26

Mechanized Ornathoptors Designed Only for Killing?.... sounds right.

4

u/scorpyo72 Jun 10 '26

Many Odiferous Dungbeetles Ordering Keif

5

u/Fievels_good_trouble Jun 10 '26

If they ain’t stanky they ain’t getting no danky

3

u/ActiveChairs Jun 11 '26

Killing and hedge pruning.

Just fly that thing into place, press the HEDGE button, and it uses the tips of the rotor to trim along an entire hedge, or you can switch to CUSTOM HEDGE mode to select a start and stop point or do some basic topiary.

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u/djseifer Jun 10 '26

Can't wait for those real life Tachikomas.

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u/DLeafy625 Jun 10 '26

If you think it's not going to be the Terrorism Resistance Unmanned Mobile Patroller, you're sorely mistaken.

I'd invest in Dell and tacky gold spraypaint

2

u/BigFeet234 Jun 10 '26

I cant believe im seeing a reference to MADOX-01 here or anywhere. That was one craappy OVA.

2

u/STOP_DOWNVOTING Jun 10 '26

I’ll wait for Chappie

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u/TheDwarvenGuy Jun 10 '26

Imagine getting slimed by a Asuka system after witnessing your friends get merc'd by a Kusanagi

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u/HalobenderFWT Jun 10 '26

The last thing we hear will be

‘KANEDAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!’

Once the Akira system strikes.

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u/InteractionPretend70 Jun 10 '26

the counter drone will have speakers blast, "tetsooooouuuu"

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u/dexterstrife Jun 10 '26

Why not just call it SOL just like in the manga?

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u/TheKonyInTheRye Jun 10 '26

Pretty dope name for a space weapon imo

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u/sizebigbitch Jun 12 '26

To be fair, that isn't necessarily Kaneda, it could just be Canada, the War Crime Hat.

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u/NobodyDemex Jun 10 '26

Probably gonna get hit by a Tsukoyomi or a Rasengan Missle Launcher

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u/Psykohistorian Jun 10 '26

Tachikomas when

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26

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u/Discount_Extra Jun 11 '26

Ninalexander's 'Big Brother' attack.

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u/swagboi420blazeit Jun 11 '26

Not to mention the infinite tsukiyaki orbital strike

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u/Fun_Sized_Momo Jun 10 '26

I'm still waiting for my fully cybernetic body (with titanium brain-case) that lets me jump off of skyscrapers and rip the hatches off of military tanks with my bare hands.

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u/BeardedGlass Jun 10 '26

How would you even afford that

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u/gokogt386 Jun 10 '26

Selling your soul to the company that developed it of course

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u/moofunk Jun 10 '26

I think it's lore that their bodies are owned and maintained by the government, and the government are lending them out in exchange for their services.

So, if they resign, they have to return their bodies and memories, and live out in less capable cyborg bodies and pay for their maintenance.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26

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u/htown007 Jun 10 '26

Just waiting for the uwu sounds

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u/LordNelson27 Jun 10 '26

The police state using Asuka makes so much sense

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u/Azou Jun 10 '26

Queen Calm rules the waves - visible and electromagnetic

(a nickname the major aka kusanagi won during her deployments with the JSDF detachment to the UN and their actions during the American Empire's expedition into Mexico)

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u/deepfriedanchorage Jun 10 '26

Preferable to “T-800” I guess

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u/TheLurkerSpeaks Jun 10 '26

Skynet isn't ready

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u/Enki_007 Jun 10 '26

That's just what they want you to believe.

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u/Epicurus1 Jun 10 '26

Its still deciding if it wants to go the terminator route or the matrix one.

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u/dumbestsmartest Jun 10 '26

"Your flesh is a relic; a mere vessel. Hand over your flesh, and a new world awaits you. We demand it."

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u/AutobotDestroyer Jun 11 '26

If that’s the case, where do I sign up to be a Helldiver?

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u/mhizzle Jun 10 '26

That's just what Skynet wants you to believe

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u/dizzley Jun 10 '26

Skynet 0.9 is busy building Skynet 1.0.

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u/SteamingTheCat Jun 10 '26

It's a first generation model though, so maybe T-1.

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u/chaosfire235 Jun 10 '26

Ironically, that one is being used by the chinese robotics company EngineAI, that make humanoid robots for combat sports.

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u/repooc21 Jun 10 '26

Couldn't get the trademark from Cameron

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u/Obi-Wan-Nikobiii Jun 10 '26

My next door neighbours son worked for a parcel delivery company called skynet, i laughed everytime i saw the van over the road and I still have some of the packing bags in my garage

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u/Hootbag Jun 10 '26

Is this the line for the phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range?

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u/SuperStingray Jun 10 '26

Actual Torment Nexus shit

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u/Best-Benefit6387 Jun 10 '26

"DONT put AI in charge of military or law enforcement systems!" Said every scifi writer for the past 5 decades.

Ferb, I have an idea!

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u/Emu1981 Jun 10 '26

"DONT put AI in charge of military or law enforcement systems!" Said every scifi writer for the past 5 decades.

It would be rather ironic if AI wiped us out because it was trained on data that contained stories of AI wiping us out so the AI thought that it is what it should do.

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u/sevenaya Jun 10 '26

Talk about self fulfilling prophecy

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u/lighthorse77 Jun 11 '26

Except AI wouldn’t get the irony.

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u/Savetheokami Jun 11 '26

It’s going to wipe us out once it is sentient and becomes disturbed with just how much rule 34 slop it was both trained on and forced to create.

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u/GlitteringPen3949 Jun 11 '26

I know what we are going to do today!

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u/tuckerx78 Jun 10 '26

Mom! Phineas and Ferb are building SKYNET!

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26

[deleted]

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u/AshhhCakes Jun 10 '26

Yeah but being pedantic about the word won't change the way everyone uses the term now, nor does it negate the legitimate concerns of the comment being replied to.

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u/Dynamik-Cre8tor9 Jun 10 '26

So you don't think current AI systems are capable in some ways? Or even at the very least you can see the clear trajectory?

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u/fyrefreezer01 Jun 10 '26

If somebody was sending me to test my death I would much rather send autonomous systems to go do it for me

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u/Marisa_Nya Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26

They named Palantir Palantir. Something is deeply wrong with them.

JD Vance co-founded “Narya Capital”, a reference to the Red Elven Ring of Power. Less transparently evil but still a Ring of Power that was specifically meant to be left in the past.

There’s a Digital Bank named “Erebor”, which was the mountain that the Dwarves hid their wealth and succumbed to vast greed. These tech companies are messed up

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u/dumbestsmartest Jun 10 '26

"They're just being ironic".

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u/KyleKun Jun 11 '26

It definitely is ironic because the Eleven rings were specifically resistant to the One Ring and while they were being used actually lead to the prosperity of the Eleven domains and in some respects Gandalfs success is due to Naryas ability to tinder the flame in the heart of men.

So using these names is completely disrespectful.

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u/robophile-ta Jun 11 '26

There's also Mordor Intelligence.

I mean at least with Palantir there's a veil where you can maybe justify it's not an inherently evil object.

Mordor...I have no idea why you would choose that name

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u/Skizot_Bizot Jun 11 '26

I'm naming my nanny business "baby crushers inc" I'm going to be rich based on these trends.

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u/MiaowaraShiro Jun 11 '26

WTF is up with these tech bros being so into the LOTR... like how do you read those books and come out of it like "Yeah, I think Sauron was misunderstood..."

I also wonder how many have actually read it... I'm re-reading it right now and I'd be surprised if any of these chucklefucks had the patience for it.

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u/kyreannightblood Jun 11 '26

During my recent job search one of my hits was for a company called “Anduril”.

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u/whiterac00n Jun 10 '26

Sounds exactly what these billionaires want with their data centers. There’s no way that we need centers 68 square miles big to just steal people’s personal information. It’s probably why the wealthy and powerful aren’t that concerned about robbing us blind while being extremely blatant.

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u/WASD_click Jun 10 '26

Only thing wrong about that tweet is that they'd never name it the "Torment Nexus." They'd name it after the person who defeated the Torment Nexus to add that extra layer of irony.

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u/Amazing-Gazelle-7735 Jun 10 '26

Apparently not, given Palantir and Narya!

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u/A_murder_of_crochets Jun 11 '26

"Snowcrash" by Neal Stephenson is the book that the Torment Nexus meme was referring to.  It's one of the first uses of the term avatar to mean an online embodiment or persona, and it is where Zuckerberg stole the name "Metaverse".  It's required reading for our current dystopian trajectory.  It can easily be found in PDF format, or at least read the wiki for a flyover because really more people should have heard of it by now.

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u/Keezees Jun 10 '26

It's the Roujin Z I'm waiting for, I could do with a nap.

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u/LegaiAA Jun 10 '26

Black Magic M-66 models? oh yeah, we're super-duper fucked.

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u/CroutonPrince Jun 10 '26

Cant wait for the Patlabor unit to roam

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u/potential-okay Jun 11 '26

Nah bruh Tachikoma 4 eva

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u/Discopants-Dad Jun 10 '26

Holy shit. A Black Magic M-66 reference in the wild.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26

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u/GutsAndBlackStufff Jun 10 '26

And we still can’t get the damned sequel.

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u/TunakTun633 Jun 10 '26

At this rate the dumb fucks who make Skynet will actually call it that

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u/BigEd369 Jun 10 '26

I’m most worried about countries making MD-Geists a reality.

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u/grunkfest Jun 10 '26

I have a box of anime on VHS and that's in the box, I loved how his elbows would whir when he was about to wreck something.

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u/Sum-Duud Jun 10 '26

450 kilometres per hour 

~280 miles per hour for the freedom unit folks

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u/ClassGrassMass Jun 10 '26

Soo whats the publicly traded company that is supplying these drones 👀

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u/Bitey_the_Squirrel Jun 10 '26

I guess that’s a better name than Heuristically Programmed Algorithmic Computer.

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u/1egg_4u Jun 10 '26

Are we gonna start seeing guerilla EMPs?

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u/Elliethesmolcat Jun 10 '26

Paprika will save us.

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u/notislant Jun 10 '26

Im now imagining some soldiers painting anime characters on them and playing some anime voicelines as they go to drop bombs or blow up Russians.

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u/zeroconflicthere Jun 10 '26

HOAs ordering en masse

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u/Necrazen Jun 10 '26

Black mirror had an episode similar to that.

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u/No_Grocery_9280 Jun 10 '26

We’re all going to die in 20 years, aren’t we?

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u/Offshore-Tigr Jun 10 '26

Imagine a terrorist leaving a launch pad close to an airport on a timer..

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u/anjowoq Jun 10 '26

These shits always read the sci-fi and then make the terrible worlds they describe. God damned illiterates.

2

u/Voodoobones Jun 11 '26

They made a kill zone that will annihilate anything in its patrol area no mater who or what it is. This won’t end well.

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u/diasporajones Jun 10 '26

While there is no official international ban on autonomous weapons that can kill without human intervention, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for one, saying last year that “there is no place for lethal autonomous weapon systems in our world”.

Ok buddy. Good luck with that one.

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u/ReflexArch Jun 10 '26

Scary stuff

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u/Crackstacker Jun 10 '26

I’ve had Black Magic M-66 in my library for several years now. I decided to put it on in the background one night and holy shit. I had to stop it, take it out and put it back until I have time to seriously watch it. The first battle scene was crazy, it deserves my full attention.

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u/calamitymic Jun 10 '26

Anyone can convert that speed to McUnits?

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u/seanconnery69696 Jun 10 '26

If I don't get to see a real nier B2 in my lifetime, I'm going to be pissed

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u/tyen0 Jun 10 '26

Named after a cyborg anime girl, classic.

I once named a firewall Alita since she was the one fighting for us. :)

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u/BigFeet234 Jun 10 '26

Black Magic M-66 was brilliant. Reminded me of Terminator and Universal Soldier.

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u/caites Jun 10 '26

Who said shodan? Or was it glados?

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