Climate change, political instability, hunger. These are just some of the forces behind an unprecedented refugee crisis that’s expected to include over a billion people by 2050. In response to this growing crisis, wealthy governments like the US and the EU are employing novel AI and surveillance technologies to slow the influx of migrants at their borders. But will this rollout stop at the border?

In this episode, Tristan and Aza sit down with Petra Molnar to discuss how borders have become a proving ground for the sharpest edges of technology, and especially AI. Petra is an immigration lawyer and co-creator of the Migration and Technology Monitor. Her new book is “The Walls Have Eyes: Surviving Migration in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

The Walls Have Eyes: Surviving Migration in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Petra’s newly published book on the rollout of high risk tech at the border.

Bots at the Gate

A report co-authored by Petra about Canada’s use of AI technology in their immigration process.

Technological Testing Grounds

A report authored by Petra about the use of experimental technology in EU border enforcement.

Startup Pitched Tasing Migrants from Drones, Video Reveals

An article from The Intercept, containing the demo for Brinc’s taser drone pilot program.

The UNHCR

Information about the global refugee crisis from the UN.

RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES

War is a Laboratory for AI with Paul Scharre

No One is Immune to AI Harms with Dr. Joy Buolamwini

Can We Govern AI? With Marietje Schaake

CLARIFICATION:

The iBorderCtrl project referenced in this episode was a pilot project that was discontinued in 2019

This week, a group of current and former employees from OpenAI and Google DeepMind penned an open letter accusing the industry’s leading companies of prioritizing profits over safety. This comes after a spate of high profile departures from OpenAI, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever and senior researcher Jan Leike, as well as reports that OpenAI has gone to great lengths to silence would-be whistleblowers.

The writers of the open letter argue that researchers have a “right to warn” the public about AI risks and laid out a series of principles that would protect that right. In this episode, we sit down with one of those writers: William Saunders, who left his job as a research engineer at OpenAI in February. William is now breaking the silence on what he saw at OpenAI that compelled him to leave the company and to put his name to this letter.

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

The Right to Warn Open Letter

My Perspective On "A Right to Warn about Advanced Artificial Intelligence": A follow-up from William about the letter

Leaked OpenAI documents reveal aggressive tactics toward former employees: An investigation by Vox into OpenAI’s policy of non-disparagement.

RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES

1. A First Step Toward AI Regulation with Tom Wheeler
2. Spotlight on AI: What Would It Take For This to Go Well?
3. Big Food, Big Tech and Big AI with Michael Moss
4. Can We Govern AI? With Marietje Schaake

Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_

Right now, militaries around the globe are investing heavily in the use of AI weapons and drones. From Ukraine to Gaza, weapons systems with increasing levels of autonomy are being used to kill people and destroy infrastructure and the development of fully autonomous weapons shows little signs of slowing down. What does this mean for the future of warfare? What safeguards can we put up around these systems? And is this runaway trend toward autonomous warfare inevitable or will nations come together and choose a different path? In this episode, Tristan and Daniel sit down with Paul Scharre to try to answer some of these questions. Paul is a former Army Ranger, the author of two books on autonomous weapons and he helped the Department of Defense write a lot of its policy on the use of AI in weaponry.

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Paul’s book on the future of AI in war, which came out in 2023.

Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War: Paul’s 2018 book documenting and predicting the rise of autonomous and semi-autonomous weapons as part of modern warfare.

The Perilous Coming Age of AI Warfare: How to Limit the Threat of Autonomous Warfare: Paul’s article in Foreign Affairs based on his recent trip to the battlefield in Ukraine.

The night the world almost almost ended: A BBC documentary about Stanislav Petrov’s decision not to start nuclear war.

AlphaDogfight Trials Final Event: The full simulated dogfight between an AI and human pilot. The AI pilot swept, 5-0.

‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza: An investigation into the use of AI targeting systems by the IDF.

RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES

1. The AI ‘Race’: China vs. the US with Jeffrey Ding and Karen Hao
2. Can We Govern AI? with Marietje Schaake
3. Big Food, Big Tech and Big AI with Michael Moss
4. The Invisible Cyber-War with Nicole Perlroth

Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_