JohnBurke

The USDA isn't making rules, nor have they attempted to do so, with respect to "drones" and unmanned aircraft over the fire. CalFire, BLM, and USFS have posters and advertising encouraging pilots of manned and unmanned aircraft to stay away from fires; this isn't new.

When non-participating aircraft enter the fire traffic area, we do back off until communication is established or the unknown aircraft is out of the area. There has been a marked increase in unmanned traffic around fires lately. The freeway burnover in California recently in which fire crossed a highway, burned a number of cars, and went down the other side, is unprecedented, and occurred when several unmanned aircraft over the fire prevented fire aircraft from doing their job. Aircraft were returned to San Bernardino and were unable to fly the fire until the unmanned aircraft were accounted for.

BLM, USFS, and other agencies and programs do have rules regarding unmanned aircraft (or intruding manned aircraft); these are internal policies and procedures, the most important one being that we don't work the fire traffic area when it's occupied by unknown aircraft. The FTA exists in its present form because of prior fatalities, and was in fact created based on an inflight collision between aircraft over a fire in California.

USDA has made no airspace regulation, nor attempted to do so, and works closely with the FAA in instituting and updating fire TFR's; enforcement of those TFRs and the regulations that govern them are the purview of the FAA.

LNL76

Meh...let 'em bring it.... I'll just pull my big girl panties up!

SayAlt

Hawking, Musk warn of "inevitable" AI arms race

If any major military moves ahead with developing artificial intelligence weapons, a global arms race of robotic killing machines is virtually inevitable, according to an open letter that Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk and hundreds of other robotics researchers signed.

weapons like armed quad-copters that can search and kill people meeting at a certain place at a certain time.

"It will only be a matter of time until [autonomous weapons] appear on the black market and in the hands of terrorists, dictators wishing to better control their populace, warlords wishing to perpetrate ethnic cleansing. etc"

Endeavor200

Another drone spotted near airliner in New York - CNN.com

SayAlt

Drone hits Great American Tower, breaks glass

In addition to any FAA regulations that are passed, we need to pass a law re: drones that requires 5 things:

1) a VIN # secured to each drone just like that found on any automobile

2) The establishment of a national database for said VIN #'s and related information

3) the purchase AND re-sale(s) of any drone must be registered with the FAA using said VIN # and the name of the buyer AND operator (if different from the buyer)

4) If a drone gets lost or stolen, the owner MUST inform law enforcement AND the FAA as soon as it's theft or loss is known under penalty of law (to include jail time and heavy fines)

5) Heavy penalties for anyone who can be shown to have attempted to evade/avoid this law in any way

SayAlt

Drone drops drugs in Ohio prison yard, spurring inmate fight

.

rickair7777

IMO, this is turning into a very real existential threat to humanity. More so than big asteroids IMO. What's really bad about it is that past patterns of information/computational development indicate that it could ramp up so fast that nobody would have time to do anything about.

My opinion...we need a global ban on any AI (and most certainly weaponized AI) which approaches human-level intellect/consciousness. Compliance enforcement: Megaton-range hydrogen bombs. If it gets away from us and achieves super-human intellect, combined with consciousness, we would likely have a very big problem. Unfortunately the incentive exists, there's always some wingnut out there who would view intelligent weapons as a means to gain/maintain control over large population groups, perhaps achieve a global empire. If said weapons are smart enough, it's not an implausible idea. And any reasonable train of logic ends with such devices likely turning on their masters.

Scenario: Loony-tunes despot acquires intelligent weapons tech, and tasks it with reproducing itself on a massive scale. Perhaps other nations follow suite. Global war follows, with Despot left in charge of a partially or largely shattered human civilization. At some point after this the machines take over. I think it more likely that we ourselves would set the stage for a machine takeover, as opposed a "judgement day" scenario where the machines just wake up and exterminate us (but in truth I wouldn't even rule out that).

SayAlt

Many of the most intelligent, experienced minds in existence today agree wholeheartedly, Rick.

And drones with embedded AI are positioned to be the #1 threat in this regard.

Bootleg

I catch one over my house, I'll blast it too.

aviatorhi

Whether or not the FAA has failed miserably has nothing to do with the matter of fact situation that drones operating in the TFR are a impediment to the safety of air crew who are already in a very precarious position.