Today, it's the announcement that a weapon-detecting AI system is to be installed in the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch that was the site of the first terror attack on 15 March. It's the first time in the world that it will be used in a place of worship. It was invented in San Francisco - actually, Silicon Valley, so more accurately that would be San Jose - and is already in use in public spaces and (sigh) schools in the US. It apparently notifies authorities within seconds if it identifies a threat.
Since the March attacks, an organisation called Keep Mosques Safe has been set up, and it's they who are funding it for Christchurch. And where is KMS based? In Qatar, where it was the initiative of the chief executive and founder of Al-Ameri International Trading. I'm a bit vague about the function of the company but, now that I've (just!) been to Qatar, I can easily believe it has both enormous funds at its disposal, and some forward-thinking and generous people behind it.
So, Christchurch, San Jose and Qatar, all coming together in a tidy and beneficial bundle.It's very satisfying, and goes a small way towards mitigating what has become, routinely, the spirit-sapping ordeal of reading the world, and domestic, news.
2 comments:
God bless your country. To be perfectly frank, God bless your country for showing up our country so dramatically. I am cheered that our gun lobby claims to be in financial straits. And yes, I was dismayed when I learned my niece had to pass through a metal detector every day to get in to school. How does this Silicone Valley magic work?
No idea, some sort of techie magic that "instantly and accurately detects an active shooter with a gun before they fire a weapon, and alerting law enforcement to proactively help prevent crimes before they occur." Sounds very futuristic.
Thank you - but we're not completely shiny. There is a gun lobby here (supported by the NRA) who are trying to bog down our gun-control law-making. There are self-serving idiots everywhere.
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