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Forbes
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
New U.S. Spacecraft Aims To Find Future Russian Nuclear-Armed Orbiters
Russian nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles roll across Red Square in Moscow, ... More American intelligence agencies have revealed Moscow is now developing a nuclear-armed spacecraft to loft into orbit AFP PHOTO / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/GettyImages) After American intelligence discovered Russia is secretly developing nuclear-armed fighter spacecraft to challenge the Western space powers, a U.S. space defense outfit is testing futuristic inspector craft that could find a warhead hidden inside a capsule circling the planet. The Kremlin's clandestine project to station hyper-powerful weapons in orbit could escalate its nuclear brinkmanship, conducted via a barrage of threats to deploy its atomic arsenal - the world's largest - against any Western ally directly helping Ukraine repel its Russian invaders. Moscow has also warned it could begin shooting down American satellites aiding Ukraine - including SpaceX's broadband-beaming sats - extending its military belligerence into the celestial sphere. Russian envoys to the UN have repeatedly threatened to begin shooting down American satellites ... More aiding Ukraine - including the SpaceX Starlinks that are beaming broadband internet connections to besieged Ukrainian students and soldiers (Photo by: Alan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) A nuclear blast in low Earth orbit could — in a flash— destroy thousands of satellites and might, depending on its proximity to the International Space Station, endanger the lives of all the ISS astronauts. While the White House has leaked some details on Moscow's covert scheme to loft uranium warheads into orbit, the timing of the first launch is still shrouded in secrecy. Now, ThinkOrbital - co-founded by onetime leaders at the U.S. Space Force and the independent rocket titan SpaceX - is refining its leading-edge X-ray inspector spacecraft to spy inside satellites launched by potentially hostile powers for weapons of mass destruction. ThinkOrbital's inspectors, when launched into low Earth orbit, would be capable of detecting nuclear warheads disguised as civilian satellites, says Lee Rosen, a former Commander of the 4th Space Launch Squadron who now heads the space defense start-up. Colonel Rosen told me in an interview that ThinkOrbital's next-generation inspectors include two partner craft: one emits high-energy X-rays at a satellite speeding through space, while the other records the images the X-rays produce as they pass through the target. 'The detector spacecraft would be positioned on one side of the target, and the X-ray emitter on the other side,' he says. This orbital X-ray system could detect nuclear bombs no matter how intricately they are camouflaged, and even as they speed through space at 28,000 kilometers per hour, Rosen says. The detonation of a powerful nuclear warhead near the International Space Station would kill its ... More astronauts within hours, say American experts on nuclear weaponry. (Photo by Alexander Gerst / ESA via Getty Images) Rosen, who left his last post as a VP of Mission and Launch Operations at SpaceX to form ThinkOrbital, says the Colorado-based outfit is now testing the new detection system, and aims to launch twin demo missions into orbit next year. Development of the world's first X-ray set-up for space-based scouting missions is being partly funded by the U.S. Space Force, Colonel Rosen says, via a series of SpaceWERX contracts as part of the rapidly expanding drive to strengthen American space defenses. ThinkOrbital's twin inspectors, once in orbit, can bolster American 'space domain awareness' and preparations for prospective space clashes of the future, he says. A flotilla of ThinkOrbital's X-ray Imagers peer into satellites speeding through low Earth orbit to ... More check for concealed nuclear warheads and other weaponry in this rendering of future missions The ability to know what each spacecraft launched by a potentially hostile power is doing in orbit, and its payload, is essential for the U.S. Space Force, Rosen adds. Kremlin threats to deploy its nuclear and anti-satellite missiles against Western targets underscore the importance of gathering continuous real-time intelligence on Russian rocket forces. Moscow's stationing fission or fusion bombs in orbit would violate the Outer Space Treaty - the fundamental international pact that governs space missions across the solar system. 'States Parties to the Treaty,' the UN space compact declares, 'undertake not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner. ' All the major space powers, including then-Soviet Russia, signed the treaty a generation ago, and violating its ban on atomic warheads in space could threaten the future of spaceflight around the world. The White House moved to confirm Moscow's campaign to position strategic warheads hundreds of kilometers above the Earth when it introduced a UN Security Council resolution last year underscoring this longstanding proscription on nuclear arms in space. The Russian ambassador to the UN quickly vetoed the measure, prompting then-National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to declare: 'We have heard President Putin say publicly that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. If that were the case, Russia would not have vetoed this resolution.' The ever-expanding threat of advanced missiles and nuclear super-bombs being produced by potential adversaries impelled the White House to propose constructing a Golden Dome missile defense shield around the globe that could hypothetically protect against ICBMs launched from any point on the planet. As the Department of Defense begins building out this supermassive dome, Colonel Rosen says, ThinkOrbital's inspectors could play a pivotal role in safeguarding the myriad Allied sensors and armed interceptors - aimed at detecting and blasting an enemy's ballistic missiles during the first three minutes of their post-launch boost phase - from any nuclear time bombs skulking through the heavens. The White House has leaked sparse details of Russia's top-secret project to launch nuclear warheads ... More on spacecraft that would orbit the planet (Photo by Chris Kleponis - Pool/Getty Images) With the building of the orbital dome, Rosen says, 'that's going to be a big juicy target' for any power challenging U.S. pre-eminence in space. Spenser Warren, a prominent American expert on Moscow's new-millennium race to strengthen its nuclear arsenal, says he strongly backs Colonel Rosen's prediction that the Golden Dome could become a prime target in any future face-off with Russia. 'I do think that Russia may launch a strike against space-based Golden Dome assets, if realized, in the event of a conflict,' Warren, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, tells me in an interview. 'Could it be nuclear? It probably could,' predicts Warren, whose doctoral dissertation was titled, 'Russian Strategic Nuclear Modernization under Vladimir Putin.' 'Any significant conflict with any peer or near-peer adversary,' he adds, 'will undoubtedly have a space dimension.' Vladimir Putin has spent much of his reign modernizing Moscow's nuclear missiles while attempting to ... More push Russia's borders outward through military force and nuclear threats (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images) Colonel Rosen says that to help pre-empt any attacks against the American dome launched from an orbital platform, 'there are multiple uses for our inspector spacecraft.' 'As part of the Golden Dome, we could help protect the protectors.' Fleets of ThinkOrbital inspectors, Rosen says, could patrol the high-traffic rings surrounding the Earth, randomly scanning spacecraft launched by rival powers for concealed weaponry. ThinkOrbital's primary goal, he says, is 'giving our commanders the ability to understand the space battlefield.' 'This will contribute to the whole space war-fighting mission.' ThinkOrbital's mission of adapting X-ray technology to scout for nuclear arms surreptitiously circling the globe could help provide 'protection for all satellites in LEO [low Earth orbit], if that is indeed where the Russians put their satellite with a nuclear warhead, and again, if they end up deploying it,' says Victoria Samson, Chief Director, Space Security and Stability at the Secure World Foundation, one of Washington DC's leading space defense think tanks. 'A nuclear ASAT would be a crude but effective weapon against a very large constellation of satellites, whether it's thousands of [SpaceX] Starlinks or thousands of [DOD] space-based interceptors,' Samson, one of the top space security experts in the U.S., tells me in an interview. While ThinkOrbital's current focus is on lofting its prototype inspectors at the start of 2026, its longer-range goal is to launch a series of orbital modules and ultimately a colossal space station - four times the size of the ISS. Nearly two years ago, ThinkOrbital's founders signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to collaborate on developing 'single-launch, large-scale orbital platforms that facilitate a wide array of applications in low Earth orbit, including in-space research, manufacturing, and astronaut missions.' ThinkOrbital was one of just seven American space-tech leaders, alongside Blue Origin, SpaceX and Sierra Space, hand-picked by NASA to design independent space stations slated to populate the closest orbital lanes when the ISS is decommissioned, or the spacecraft that will speed government and private astronauts to these new space outposts - as long as the current de facto space truce holds. ThinkOrbital's long-range goal is to launch a series of orbital modules and ultimately a colossal ... More space station - four times the size of the ISS.
Toronto Sun
27-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
MANDEL: AI "hallucinations" hit second GTA court case in a month
Get the latest from Michele Mandel straight to your inbox A photo taken on November 23, 2023 shows the logo of the ChatGPT application developed by US artificial intelligence research organization OpenAI on a laptop screen (R) and the letters AI on a smartphone screen in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images They're called AI 'hallucinations' and the made-up citations generated by artificial intelligence chatbots have just landed a second Ontario lawyer this month in hot water. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The latest case involves Ontario Court Justice Joseph Kenkel rejecting written final arguments by defence lawyer Arvin Ross in an aggravated assault trial because he relied on a case that apparently doesn't actually exist. 'Unfortunately, there are serious problems with the defence submissions,' the Newmarket judge wrote in a ruling on Monday. 'One of the cases cited appears to be fictitious. The court was unable to find any case at that citation. There was no case by that name with that content at any other citation. Kenkel instructed him to redraft his submission without using generative AI or commercial legal software that uses GenAI. ' Mr. Ross has done a good job presenting the defence in this case. I'm confident that he will be able to prepare proper submissions within these guidelines,' he concluded. Reached by email, the lawyer declined comment since the matter is before the court. 'I am focused on complying with the court's directions and appreciate your understanding,' Ross wrote. The first court case to deal with the new problem of AI-generated fictions, known as 'hallucinations,' occurred earlier this month in Toronto. Lawyer Jisuh Lee was before Superior Court Justice Fred Myers to argue that her client's divorce should be set aside and a trustee removed when the judge noticed her written materials rested on past decisions where the hyperlinks took him to non-existent cases or to ones which dealt with a completely different area of law. Recommended video Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He suspected a wonky AI program was at fault but chastised the lawyer for not reviewing her cases before arguing them in court. Myers ordered Lee to appear before him on May 16 to show cause why she shouldn't be cited for contempt. 'A court decision that is based on fake laws would be an outrageous miscarriage of justice to the parties and would reflect very poorly on the court and the civil justice system,' he said. In response, the shocked 30-year veteran lawyer has 'thrown herself on the mercy of the court,' Myers wrote. Lee delivered a letter to the court on May 9 explaining that she's learned that her staff had used ChatGPT to prepare her factum and the non-existent cases were AI hallucinations. She apologized for not verifying their authenticity and asked not to be found in contempt. 'This was a serious lapse in judgment. It does not reflect the standard of diligence and care I have always tried to uphold in my practice, nor does it reflect my respect for this court,' she said in a later statement to the court. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More Lee also pledged to take six hours of continuing professional education in the proper use and risks of AI in a law practise. Following her apology and noting the widespread notoriety of the case — the judge said she was bombarded by calls from reporters and colleagues — Myers withdrew the contempt motion. 'In my view, the publicity surrounding this case has served both to publicly denounce inappropriate conduct and as general deterrence to the bar and others who might rely on AI for legal submissions,' he wrote. In the U.S., lawyers who have filed briefs with fake cases generated by AI have been fined $5,000 — but Myers declined to follow suit. 'There had to be someone who was going to be the first lawyer to file AI hallucinations here. It was likely to be someone so junior as to overestimate the infallibility of AI , or someone so senior as to not really yet understand its fallibility. Ms. Lee has suffered a public shaming near the end of an unblemished career. 'The denunciation and deterrent effect produced her immediate and forthright response in a manner far beyond any reasonably expected impact of a small fine.' mmandel@ Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists World Canada World
Newsweek
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Russia Pulled Nuclear-Capable ICBM Launch: Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Russia pulled a "combat training" launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) after something "went wrong," according to Ukrainian intelligence. Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) said Sunday that Moscow planned to conduct "combat training" launch of its RS-24 Yars, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can be armed with nuclear warheads. It was expected to launch from a site near the village of Svobodny in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia, but "everything indicates that the launch simply did not happen," reported Defense Express, a Ukrainian outlet that specializes in military news. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment by email. Why It Matters If the test launch failed, it would serve as an embarrassing setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In September 2024, his feared Satan 2 nuclear arsenal was reported to have failed four out of five missile tests. An RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system drives across Red Square during Russia's Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2025. An RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system drives across Red Square during Russia's Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2025. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images What To Know The GUR claimed that the missile launch was ordered to be conducted by the crew of the 433rd regiment of the 42nd division of the 31st Army of Russia's strategic missile forces with the purposes of intimidating Ukraine, the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states. It added that the flight range of the three-stage solid-propellant rocket is more than 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles). But "everything indicates that it simply did not happen," Defense Express reported. According to the publication, the launch, if it happened, would most likely have been filmed or photographed by locals and subsequently shared on social media. "The Russians would also have been able to observe the missile flying," the publication said. "Given that the main Russian test site for intercontinental missiles is Kura in Kamchatka, this missile would have been visible over a large area of Siberia and the Far East, from Khanty-Mansiysk to Magadan. But no video of it has been published." The publication added: "Why the Russians did not launch remains unknown." Russian authorities didn't respond to the GUR claim, which Newsweek couldn't independently verify. What People Are Saying Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence, in a statement on Sunday: "In order to demonstratively pressure and intimidate Ukraine, as well as EU and NATO member states, the aggressor state Russia intends to carry out a 'combat training' launch of the RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yars complex on the night of May 19, 2025." What Happens Next Putin and President Donald Trump spoke by the phone on Monday as the U.S. leader continued his faltering efforts to broker peace talks in the war.
Forbes
17-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
We Aren't Ready For AI Agent Computing Demands
Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images AI agents are transforming Web3's landscape in ways most people haven't noticed. These autonomous programs scan markets, optimize yields, and secure protocols across chains — but they're hitting the wall of computing power. While Twitter threads buzz about AI agents revolutionizing DeFi and governance, engineers face a harder truth: running these agents at scale across decentralized networks demands unprecedented computational resources. Yet a handful of projects have cracked this infrastructure puzzle, building systems that make AI agents truly viable in Web3. Understanding this infrastructure evolution matters for anyone building or investing in decentralized systems because the next wave of Web3 innovation depends on getting these foundations right. Drop an AI agent into a blockchain environment and you'll quickly discover why traditional approaches fail. That's because these aren't your typical automation tools. AI agents are specialized programs dealing with unique Web3 constraints that involve different levels of complexity. Every decision requires calculating gas costs across multiple chains. Each trade needs verification through zero-knowledge proofs. And unlike centralized systems, these agents can't just spin up more cloud servers when demand spikes. Take a DeFi trading bot. On the surface, it looks similar to traditional algorithmic trading. But dig deeper and you'll find it juggling cross-chain liquidity pools, predicting gas wars, and maintaining decentralization while making split-second decisions. The computational demands balloon when you factor in real-time market data from multiple chains, smart contract interactions, and cryptographic proofs for every transaction. This complexity explains why early Web3 AI agents failed. They either compromised on decentralization or choked on processing demands. The real breakthrough came when teams stopped trying to force traditional AI architectures into blockchain environments. Instead, they built new systems from the ground up, designed specifically for Web3's unique challenges. Web3 projects have finally moved past theoretical discussions of AI agents. Several teams have deployed working solutions that showcase the practical potential of this technology. In the DeFi space, EXE is taking an unexpected approach. Their platform leverages AI agents to monitor market conditions across multiple chains simultaneously. When volatility increases, these agents calculate optimal lending strategies and adjust collateral requirements faster than any human trader could react. The system processes massive amounts of cross-chain data to predict market movements, often spotting opportunities hours before they become obvious to manual traders. Inference Labs demonstrates another crucial application in the verification space. The team developed a system that combines zero-knowledge proofs with AI inference engines. Each decision made by their AI agents generates a cryptographic proof, creating an auditable trail without sacrificing computational efficiency. For DeFi protocols, this breakthrough enables the confident deployment of AI-driven decisions while maintaining security standards. The computational demands of running AI agents at scale exposed a critical weakness in Web3's infrastructure. recognized this early, understanding that traditional cloud services would buckle under the unique requirements of decentralized networks. Their solution emerged from a simple observation: massive amounts of computing power sit idle in personal devices around the world. By building DePIN networks to harness this untapped resource, created an infrastructure layer that reduces operational costs significantly compared to centralized providers. The system grows organically as demand increases, with new nodes joining the network to provide additional computing power. Why did this distributed setup work? It tackled core problems head-on. For example, when an AI agent needs to process complex calculations across multiple chains, the workload spreads across the network rather than overwhelming a single node. The architecture ensures consistent performance globally while maintaining the censorship resistance that makes Web3 valuable. Across Web3, teams feel the impact of these infrastructure upgrades. AI agents can now handle more sophisticated tasks, from real-time market analysis to complex risk assessments, without compromising on decentralization principles. Teams building new applications no longer need to choose between performance and staying true to Web3's core values. The recent success of projects like Inference Labs and EXE stems directly from these infrastructure advances. Their AI agents operate effectively because the underlying computational framework finally matches their requirements. This shift from theoretical possibility to practical implementation represents years of work solving fundamental technical challenges. Web3's infrastructure evolution creates unique possibilities for AI agent deployment. Early experiments focus on obvious use cases such as trading, security monitoring, and yield optimization. But the real transformation lies in unexplored territory. For instance, with decentralized identity systems, AI agents could analyze cross-chain reputation data while preserving privacy through zero-knowledge proofs. Projects are developing frameworks where these agents help assess creditworthiness without accessing sensitive personal information. The computational demands for this kind of analysis would have made it impossible even a year ago. Community governance represents another frontier. AI agents are beginning to assist DAOs with treasury management and proposal analysis. For example, when a DAO considers a complex DeFi strategy, AI agents simulate potential outcomes across multiple market scenarios. The results help token holders make more informed decisions while maintaining decentralized control. The success of AI agents in Web3 hinges on more than raw computing power. Infrastructure providers face ongoing challenges around data availability, cross-chain communication, and scalability. Solutions require a careful balance between automation efficiency and decentralization principles. Theoretical models shatter when they hit mainnet. Ask any dev team about how these models break down under real-world conditions. Market volatility, network congestion, and evolving security threats create edge cases that even sophisticated AI agents struggle to handle. Each failure provides valuable lessons, pushing development toward more robust solutions. The next phase of development focuses on standardization and interoperability. As more projects deploy AI agents, the need for common frameworks becomes clear. Infrastructure providers recognize that long-term success depends on creating systems that work together seamlessly, rather than competing isolated solutions. These foundations might not generate exciting headlines, but they determine which projects succeed in bringing AI agents from concept to production. The teams solving these fundamental challenges today shape how Web3 will function tomorrow.
