Israel uses automatic weapons in the West Bank

In two areas of the occupied West Bank, Israel has placed automatic weapons that can fire tear gas, stun grenades and Sponge bullets on Palestinian demonstrators.

Weapons located in the Arroub refugee camp and Hebron city use artificial intelligence to track targets. Israel says the technology saves lives – both Israeli and Palestinian. But critics see moral or ethical problems with these weapon systems.

tensions

The automatic weapon systems come at a time of heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank. Unrest there has escalated during the bloodiest year since 2006.

The victory of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, which includes a party closely linked to the settler movement, raised fears of more violence.

One of the weapon systems is on a guard tower overlooking the Arroub refugee camp in the southern West Bank. Eyewitnesses say that when young Palestinian demonstrators entered the streets and threw stones and petrol bombs at the occupation soldiers, the weapons fired tear gas or sponge bullets at them.

About a month ago, the army also placed the robots in the nearby city of Hebron, where soldiers often clash with Palestinian stone-throwers. The army declined to comment on its plans to deploy the system elsewhere in the West Bank.

Palestinian activist Issa Amro said that Hebron residents feared misuse of the new weapon Hacked. He added that people also do not like what they say is weapons testing on civilians.

“We are not a training and simulation for Israeli companies,” he said. “This is something new that needs to be stopped.”

There are no soldiers next to the machines. Instead, the weapons are operated by remote control. At the touch of a button, soldiers inside a guard tower can fire at specific targets.

The military says the system is being tested and only fires “non-lethal” weapons used for crowd control, such as sponge bullets and tear gas.

Palestinians walk past an Israeli military guard tower with two automatic rifles and surveillance cameras in the Arroub refugee camp in the West Bank, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022 (AP Photo/Mahmoud Elean)

around the world

Robotic weapons are increasingly spreading around the world. Militaries use drones to carry out deadly strikes in places like Ukraine and Ethiopia. Remote-controlled guns like the Israeli system have been used in the West Bank by the United States in Iraq, by South Korea along the border with North Korea, and by Syrian rebel groups.

Known for its advanced military technologies, Israel is among the largest producers of ever capable drones in the world provisionsGuided missiles. It has erected a fence along its border with the Gaza Strip, equipped with radar and sensors underground and underwater. Above ground, a robotic vehicle, equipped with cameras and automatic rifles, is used to patrol the border.

“Israel uses technology as a means of controlling the civilian population,” said Dror Sadot, a spokeswoman for the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. She said that even supposedly non-lethal weapons such as sponge bullets can cause severe pain and even be fatal.

The system is being built at El Arroub by Smart Shooter, a company that makes “fire control systems” that it says “increase accuracy, lethality, and situational awareness for small arms.” The company deals with many militaries around the world, including the US Army.

Speaking at the company’s headquarters in Kibbutz Yagur in northern Israel, CEO Michal Moore said the rifle requires human selection of military targets and equipment.

“They always have a guy… who makes the decision about it Lawful goal,” she said.

She said the system reduces injuries and deaths by distancing soldiers from violence and making shooting more accurate.

Unclear future

But Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, said Israel is in “aslip Towards the digitization of weapons systems.” By using these technologies, Shakir said, Israel is creating a “powder keg of human rights violations.” A powder keg is a situation that has the potential to become dangerous or violent.

In Al-Aroub, residents say machines shoot without warning.

“They are very fast, even faster than the soldiers,” said Kamel Abu Hashish, a 19-year-old student. He described the clashes that took place almost at night as the soldiers entered the camp on behalf of automated Tear gas gun.

Paul Scharr of the Center for a New American Security is a former US Army marksman. Without emotion and with better purpose, he said, automated systems can reduce violence.

But he said the absence of international rules for “killer bots” is problematic. Otherwise, he said, it is only a matter of time before these weapon systems are equipped to use lethal force.

I’m John Russell.

And I’m Ashley Thompson.

Sam McNeil reported this story for the Associated Press. John Russell has adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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words in this story

Inverted sponge bullet -n. A type of projectile designed to break or pierce the skin

hack – Fifth. Computers : To secretly access files on a computer or network in order to obtain information, cause damage, etc.

provisions — number. Resolution quality: Accuracy or precision

Lawful – permitted according to rules or laws; real, accepted or official

slip – number. A movement to a lower or worse state or state

automated – : to operate or operate (something, such as a plant or a system) using machines, computers, etc., rather than people

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Meta demonstrates an AI-powered speech-to-speech translation system

The parent company of Facebook Meta has built a straightforwardly tailored tech tool translate Speech from one language to another.

Meta recently released a video showing how to make a file Artificial intelligence This AI powered instrument can translate between English and Hokkien language.

In the video, Meta President Mark Zuckerberg explained that the project required different and unusual development approaches. This is because Hokkien is primarily a spoken language. It does not have a widely used written form.

In general, translation system developers train AI models on very large amounts of written text text in the target languages. This provides the system with many different examples and language combinations in an effort to produce the most accurate results.

In general, AI-powered translation systems have improved greatly in recent years. It’s now easier than ever to get translation assistance online or on devices to improve international communications.

But one of the problems with these systems is that there are delays associated with the translation process. For example, when the system records the spoken speech, the words are first turns up into text and then translated by an artificial intelligence system. Then, the translated words are converted into speech so they can be heard.

The unusual part of the Meta project was that the development team didn’t have large amounts of Hokkien scripts to fetch into the AI ​​system.

Hokkien is a version, or dialect, of Chinese. It is spoken by millions of people in southeast China’s Fujian Province. It is also spoken by many people in Taiwan and some communities in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. The language is generally passed down through generations of families.

Meta notes that Hokkien is one of about 3,500 living languages ​​that are primarily spoken and do not have a widely used writing system. The company says its AI developers aim to create speech-to-speech translation tools that cover most of the world’s languages.

Earlier this year, Meta announced two new AI projects. One is called Not Leaving Language Behind. Zuckerberg He said In a video, this effort is designed to create translation systems to cover “hundreds” of the world’s languages.

The other is called Universal Speech Translator. The goal of this project is to build a system that can produce “speech-to-speech translation across all languages,” the company said in a statement. The latest Meta system that includes Hokkien was developed as part of the Universal Speech Translator project.

“The ability to communicate with anyone in any language – it’s a superpower that people have always dreamed of, and AI will bring that into our lives,” Zuckerberg said.

Meta said it used several different methods to create the new system of translation to and from Hokkien and English. The team trained their AI models on text examples written from another version of Chinese, Mandarin, which is similar to Hokkien.

In addition, Meta developers have used the . file encryption A tool designed to compare spoken Hokkien with similar English text. The team also worked closely with Hokkien’s spokesmen to confirm the validity of the findings.

Meta said it aims to use the same methods used at Hokkien to create speech-to-speech translation systems for many languages ​​in the future.

However, the company said its Hokkien translation model is “still in progress.” He noted that the system is currently only able to translate one complete sentence at a time.

I’m Brian Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Facebook, Google, and the South China Morning Post.

Test – Meta demonstrates an AI-powered speech-to-speech translation system

Start the quiz to find out the answer

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The words in this story

translate – Fifth To change words from one language to another

Artificial intelligence n. You areDevelop computer systems with the ability to perform work that normally requires human intelligence

text n. written words

turns up characteristic To change the appearance, form, or purpose of something

encoding – Fifth. To represent complex information in a simple or short way

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Floating device deployed off Chile to protect whales from ships

A device floating in the waters off the coast of southern Chile aims to collect data on nearby whales to protect them from passing ships.

first letter float It was recently placed at sea in Corcovado Bay, about 1,100 kilometers from the capital, Santiago.

The device is designed to listen to the sounds of whales when they communicate with each other. Animals use sound to map their movements and hunt.

An electric shovel lifts a buoy ordered to help avoid ships hitting whales in the Corcovado Bay area on the coast of Chilo, Chile, October 10, 2022. (Fundacion MERI/Handout)

Sounds are processed by Artificial intelligence Computer-powered (AI) systems trying to locate animals. This information is then sent to shipping operators to help them avoid hitting the whales.

A non-profit organization called the Blue Boat Initiative put a buoy into place. The group seeks to develop and deploy technical tools to provide a warning system to shipping companies. In addition to helping protect whales, the “smart” buoy also collects data on ocean health and the effects of climate change.

A boat transports a buoy to help avoid ship collisions with whales in the Corcovado Bay area in the coast of Chilo, Chile, October 10, 2022 (Fundacion MERI/Handout via REUTERS)

The group plans to place a series of buoys along the path that the whales take on journeys from Antarctica to the equator. Corcovado Bay is rich in marine life, including a large number of blue whales, as well as southern right whales. All these whales are listed as endangered under Endangered Species Act. The number of whales in the area increases during the summer season in the southern hemisphere.

In 2008, Chile banned whaling activities, including whaling for scientific purposes. The country has established a number of protected areas for whales and other endangered areas Ocean.

“This is the beginning of a longer path,” said Sonia Espanol, director of the Blue Boat Initiative. She indicated that her team plans to cover the Gulf with at least six buoys. “The idea is to be able to cover migrants completely road of whales from Antarctica to the equator.”

Workers place a buoy to help avoid ships colliding with whales in the bay area of ​​'Corcovado' in the coast of Chilo, Chile, October 10, 2022 (Fundacion MERI/Handout via REUTERS)

Workers place a buoy to help avoid ships colliding with whales in the bay area of ​​’Corcovado’ in the coast of Chilo, Chile, October 10, 2022 (Fundacion MERI/Handout via REUTERS)

The buoy operates using software called Listening to the Deep Ocean Environment (LIDO). device continuously screens Ocean sounds. It uses artificial intelligence to determine the type of whales and their whereabouts in real time. It then sends messages to nearby ships so they can reduce noise levels and try to avoid collisions.

Buoys also contain sensors to measure water temperatures, oxygen levels, and more to predict ocean health and the effects of climate change. It is expected that this information will be used to help guide public environmental policies.

In the United States, scientists recently Spread Similar warning system to whales off the west coast of America. This system, called Whale Safe, uses buoys to determine the presence of whales.

I’m Brian Lynn.

Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

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The words in this story

float – number. A floating object used in the water to identify dangerous areas for boats

Artificial intelligence – number. Develop computer systems with the ability to perform work that normally requires human intelligence

Ocean n. A group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce small animals or plants

road -n. The way something or someone travels regularly

Show Fifth. Watch something carefully and record the results

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