- "Palantir's AI" is Anthropic Claude.
- Depends on specific cases, I have on good authority of how in few "bleeding edge" ones they essentially repacked/wrapped YOLOv3. Purpose was specifically tracking in adversarial conditions (smoke, including smokescreen, obstacles, etc)
- Why YOLOv3 and not something more recent? Like YOLO26 or something
- Why YOLOv3 and not something more recent?
- For realtime on the edge the YOLO series is pretty good, I don't think anyone would disagree. Most of the really advanced stuff like Vision Language models all require a lot more compute and power budget.
- A bunch of what they were contracted for very much required realtime tracking at the edge
- Dehomag.
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
- I skimmed through the article. I didn’t understand what role AI supposedly plays in this case for tracking aid deliveries. For tracking you need sensors and connectivity from the mode of delivery, location information, some analytics and databases. What does this AI do for tracking? I can understand a sales pitch that says AI decides where to provide aid, how much, when, etc. But tracking deliveries? It’s a head scratcher for me.
- The article just describes how they're ingesting the data, some Palantir rep is watching the deliveries remotely and what sounds like manually entering delivery data.
From there I'm guessing the "AI" part is an LLM interface is offered to ask questions about the deliveries?
This wouldn't be the first product where it just provides what a database already does just fine / more efficiently...
- I'm not the expert and the details that the company would put out are obviously obtuse, but: image detection/identification, predictive policing, and planning. The latter sounds to me like they'd have some system where people enter reports in natural language and an LLM assembles the information together and then proposes some plan of action. As opposed to having to have a more structured data entry and the friction that comes with it. It's all in the article if you read between the lines, really.
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- Sorry, but if honest coverage of Israel is considered bashing it, then it deserves to be “bashed“
Israel is still bombing people in tents and withholding aid.
Israel is doing to the Palestinians exactly what the US did to the Native Americans. I sadly expect Palestinians will end up on reservations and once their numbers and little remaining power are reduced enough they’ll finally be given some form of second class citizenship.
But tell me where I’m wrong.
- Don't they already have that? What is the West Bank, if not a reservation?
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- Palantir employees probably know how easy it would be to correlate any post they make to their real identity.
- Also that they are unlikely to get a fair shake unless they say what folks here want to hear.
- Well, what we don't want to hear is "I'm just doing my job"
- HN in a nutshell
- Palantir only select people that are okay with this, so I doubt they say anything here.
- I think Meta employees don’t protest either for the genocides its platforms aided and supported or the other harms caused to kids in general. Maybe the pay is so good that one can convince oneself they’re on the good side. Maybe these companies attract a certain type of personality that doesn’t necessarily care much about others.
- I doubt most people at Meta feel responsible for that. Surely people at Palantir understand that it's effectively the stated mission of their job.
- Concur; while Meta does have a role in determining the content people see, interacting with their platform is mostly voluntary. Palantir's platform interacts with you, not the other way around.
- The answer is that responsibility is diffused. Very few people are actively building the 'Genocide Palestine' or the 'Illegally detain and torture immigrants' system, but a lot of people have submitted CLs to microservices that the 'Genocide Palestine' system (as well as a thousand others) calls.
Modern America is the complete antithesis of 'The Buck Stops Here.' It's more of an 'I have absolute power, and none of the accountability' sort of place.
If the president, or one of his armed, masked thugs with a license to kill can't ever be held accountable for the evil, vile shit they do, why should some low-level SWE feel any remorse or responsibility for those CLs?
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The solution? Don't tolerate it. Don't settle for no accountability. Don't think this is no big deal, or business as usual. The only way out of this, if power is ever taken back, is disproportionate punishment for the guilty. The country can move on and heal after justice is fairly apportioned.
Incidentally, both war crimes, and deprivation of rights under color of law are capital crimes in the United States.
- Well have you met Alex Karp? He is quite mesmerizing, pays well and the most powerful people in the world are in meetings with him 24x7. If they all have no problem then who am I to question anything.
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- The only situation in which 2A will stop mattering is if the government decides it is willing to level American cities to achieve its future goals.
You cannot kick down doors with AI. You cannot infiltrate meetings with AI (well, at least not if the meeting holders have good opsec).
AI is great if you want to identify targets, but it does not move the needle very much on an occupation. If you want to preserve the area you're occupying then you will have to pay for it in blood.
- Not really. Drones give you pretty good tracking/murdering capability. I suspect ground based systems either similar characteristics will be deployed soon.
- It’s easier to use psyops and cause fear and uncertainty.
- What are the odds of a lethal drone strike on an American citizen within the USA borders in the next 10 years?
- > The only situation in which 2A will stop mattering is if the government decides it is willing to level American cities to achieve its future goals.
That wouldn't even be necessary. A siege/blockade would cripple any resistance after enough attrition. Take any moderate or large city. It's hard to maintain hundreds of thousands to millions of people with no running water, electricity, agriculture, fuel, healthcare, etc..
- There haven't been may israeli lives lost besides those in october 7th. The blood used to pay has only been Palestine.
- > There haven't been may israeli lives lost besides those in october 7th.
Due to the Iron Dome and shelter in every apartment building. The government prioritizes defense of its citizens.
- > the 2nd amendment will mean absolutely nothing in the not too distant future
It hasn't for many decades now. The armaments that civilians are allowed to legally own pale in comparison to what the military has. AI powered drones would just automate turning people into pink mist.
- I agree, but I believe Gaza is the culmination of this reality due to the cross-section of advanced surveillance, drone tech, and AI-based warfare. It is the first time this combination is fully applied to a non-conventional military/guerilla group in a highly concentrated, urban setting.
Also, given that many 2A proponents still believe in it as a legitimate “correction” mechanism, Gaza should be the final wake up call.
- I guess the Second Amendment only counts if your last name is Bundy (not Ted, obviously)
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- > The Israeli's are using the same tactics that the Nazi's used against the Jews in the holocaust.
Bullshit.
- > The Israeli's are using the same tactics that the Nazi's used against the Jews in the holocaust.
My original reply was flagged, and while you may think it's bullshit, I hope you don't think it should be censored.
- > but the Gaza genocide
War is not a genocide.
- Wrong, but feel free to replace genocide with whatever term you deem politically correct and try to understand my wider point.
- > Wrong
No, not wrong. Hutu committed genocide. Turks committed genocide against Armenians. But the war in Gaza is not a genocide once you consider facts and compare to other modern conflicts.
> and try to understand my wider point
Your point is founded on falsehoods.
- So edgy; is being an apologist really the noble calling you think it is? Both are just words, mappings to concepts in our minds; "genocide" is an invented term, but it has a widely shared definition that the UN helped formalize, and in the minds of many, many people all over the world, the term applies here.
"War" could one day be waged against whatever group you belong to, as well. You may wish for the country waging it to follow the Geneva Convention so that your sons gain a small chance of becoming POWs and returning to you, instead of being destroyed by an autonomous drone. Comments like yours endorse the actions that are being done; we're beginning to recognize the term "hasbara" for them.
- > So edgy; is being an apologist really the noble calling you think it is?
Is it your noble calling? From the Temporary Constitution of the State of Palestine (2026)[1]:
Not sure how anyone can possibly defend a literal religious autocracy, especially while espousing liberal ideals (right to self-determination, statehood, free markets, rule of law, etc.).Article 4 – Islam, Sharia and Christianity 1. Islam is the official religion in the State of Palestine. 2. The principles of Islamic Sharia are a primary source for legislation.[1] https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/2026...
- Isn't Israel a Jewish state with Jewish law? If you hated theocratic countries, you'd hate both.
Palestine doesn't have a government, anyway. Israel destroyed it. Its former temporary constitution is completely irrelevant.
- Not Jewish law. Mix of Common Law with with some leftovers of Ottoman law
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_law
Government that doesn't exist in your opinion, is sitting in UN as observer state and just opened an embassy in London https://news.sky.com/story/palestinian-embassy-in-london-ope...
And "Former temporary constitution" was actually published last week. It's date on the first page
- We can see that your own noble calling is to be an apologist for a genocidal state. It's a pity that in reality you likely do not actually get paid for the task, though I must imagine you have people accusing you of that on a regular basis. I'm not sure if it would improve or worsen the moral calculus if you did.
I have no issue with Islam being the religion of Palestine, at least not an issue so strong that murdering its people seems like the correct path forward to me. I suppose your moral reasoning differs on the topic, but it's obviously motivated reasoning based on loyalties I cannot share.
- Doesn't the Geneva Convention state that if militants build an underground base beneath a civilian building, that civilian building becomes a military target?
Gaza is Swiss-cheesed with hundreds of miles of military tunnels. If any attack on a tunnel is disallowed because of civilian buildings above it, I predict many countries will start adopting the Hamas strategy of putting military bases under civilian buildings. That way, every attack on your bases becomes a war crime by your enemy - you can't lose!
- I do not blame the people of Palestine for taking the defensive actions they deem correct. I do not consent to the idea of civilians becoming legitimate targets due to defensive architecture. Yes, war crimes are being committed; your comment makes you bear complicity to them, in a small degree, as you serve as an apologist for such actions online.
Of course, both of our posting is pointless, as we know neither will convince the other. You have an advantage in that your particular side is in power; but I bite my thumb at you.
- > I do not blame the people of Palestine for taking the defensive actions they deem correct.
> your comment makes you bear complicity to them, in a small degree, as you serve as an apologist for such actions online.
Can Israelis act as they see fit in defense, or no?
- It appears as though they will act as they see fit - defensively or otherwise - regardless of my position on the topic.
- > It appears as though they will act as they see fit - defensively or otherwise - regardless of my position on the topic.
Well, you stated your position multiple times w.r.t. Palestinian rights, so I think for the sake of completeness you can state your position on the rights of Israelis as well.
So, do the Israelis have a right to act as they see fit, or no?
- > Doesn't the Geneva Convention state that if militants build an underground base beneath a civilian building, that civilian building becomes a military target?
I am not sure it truly even matters, practically speaking. Laws that cannot be enforced are merely suggestions.
- There's something in-between law and suggestion, which is a Schelling point: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_point_(game_theory) ; these points can be influenced by information.
If we can establish, through published doctrine, what we will do in certain situations, then other nations can reason about our decisionmaking process. They can compare our actions to our policy, and make judgements about our trustworthiness as national actors. If we choose to act irrationally, or against our own doctrine, we become untrustworthy and other players have to adjust their game accordingly. That's the "enforcement" - and you can see this in action, e.g. with Mark Carney's recent speech.
- > is being an apologist really the noble calling you think it is? Both are just words, mappings to concepts in our minds; "genocide" is an invented term, but it has a widely shared definition that the UN helped formalize
Great. Which describes a very specific thing. good.
> and in the minds of many, many people all over the world, the term applies here.
In minds of many people many things were acceptable. I am not sure this kind of reasoning is a good strategy. In minds of many Hutu, Tutsi did not deserve to live. Were Hutu right?
> "War" could one day be waged against whatever group you belong to, as well. You may wish for the country waging it to follow the Geneva Convention so that your sons gain a small chance of becoming POWs and returning to you, instead of being destroyed by an autonomous drone.
This is very good point. Unfortunately, Palestinians did not follow Geneva convention. Firing unguided rockets in barrages towards population centers with the goal of overwhelming air defense systems is very much non-conventional.
> Comments like yours endorse the actions that are being done;
How come? Do you see a difference between saying "it's okay to kill civilians" and debating the merits of using one term vs. another to describe an event?
> we're beginning to recognize the term "hasbara" for them.
It seems to me an easy way out. Why discuss the merits of an argument, if you can simply say "it's hasbara" and walk away?
- > Were Hutu right?
I don't need to involve other conflicts in this situation. This is a "whataboutism". Wrongful actions in another conflict do not justify future conflicts. The actions the world has seen do not simply go away because of your comment. I don't need to rehash every factual news article on the topic to justify my position, nor do I need you to rehash the glazing opinion pieces that justify yours; we won't move the needle that way, will we?
> if you can simply say "it's hasbara" and walk away
I'm not walking away, but surely we can both see that there will be no agreement between us. All that I request is that you do not place an explosive device in a pager and send it to me, as that would be very inconsiderate; my neighbour works the night shift and the resulting shockwave would ruin his daytime sleep.
- > I don't need to involve other conflicts in this situation. This is a "whataboutism".
No, “whataboutism” is using shifting a conversation to a different issue. For example:
Person A: "The democrats did X!"
Person B: "But the republicans..."
Person B is engaging in whataboutism.
I am not discussing Hutu. What I am doing is I am providing you an example why the reasoning that majority is never wrong is a fallacy via an example.
> Wrongful actions in another conflict do not justify future conflicts. The actions the world has seen do not simply go away because of your comment.
Neither because of yours. Palestinians shoot rockets towards civilians for the past 20 years. Tells us quite a lot who’s the “genocidal” here.
> I don't need to rehash every factual news article on the topic to justify my position, nor do I need you to rehash the glazing opinion pieces that justify yours; we won't move the needle that way, will we?
I am not trying to change your mind. I am posting here for others to see your double standards and flaws in your reasoning. They will see and judge themselves.
> All that I request is that you do not place an explosive device in a pager and send it to me, as that would be very inconsiderate; my neighbour works the night shift and the resulting shockwave would ruin his daytime sleep.
Interesting choice of words here. Should I ask you not to blow yourself on the bus, or in a cafe? Or in a wedding? This is good that you wrote it, it shows exactly what I wanted to see.
- > Tells us quite a lot who’s the “genocidal” here.
I'll just quote Wikipedia for you:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Gaza_war
> As of 21 February 2026, at least 75,226 people (73,188+ Palestinians[4] and 2,039+ Israelis)[7][8][9][10] have been reported killed in the Gaza war according to the Gaza Health Ministry (GHM) and Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including 248 journalists and media workers,[11] 120 academics,[12] and over 224 humanitarian aid workers, a number that includes 179 employees of UNRWA.[13] Scholars have estimated 80% of Palestinians killed were civilians.[6][5][14] A study by OHCHR, which verified fatalities from three independent sources, found that 70% of the Palestinians killed in residential buildings or similar housing were women and children.[15][16]
> Should I ask you not to blow yourself on the bus, or in a cafe?
Nope, that's the wrong prejudice for my intersectional group, but it certainly reveals some of your own biases.
- > I'll just quote Wikipedia for you:
And? What do these figures tell you? You are accepting a very lazy explanation for the disparity in the number of casualties and calling a day.
I will give you an example where with the same logic you will arrive to an unconventional conclusion. There was order of magnitudes more German civilians killed by the US forces during WW2 than the other way around. Does it mean that Nazi Germany are the good guys here? Probably no.
One alternative explanation why there was more Palestinians killed than Israelis is because:
1. Israelis have shelters, so they have places to hide from rockets
2. Israelis have Iron Dome and alert systems to alert civilians of incoming rockets
Palestinians did not have these things. Moreover, Gaza's government used underground facilities only for military purposes and did not allow civilians to hide there for the duration of hostilities.
As a result, it is reasonable to assume that there will be more causalities on the side that has fewer defenses.
But, you can stick to your intellectually lazy argument that paints a very specific picture.
> Nope, that's the wrong prejudice for my intersectional group, but it certainly reveals some of your own biases.
You have no idea what my biases are. You were the one who went with personal insinuations, not me. I just showed you that this type of discourse is not very productive as it lead nowhere.
So, what did your pager anxiety outburst tell us about your biases?
- > So, what did your pager anxiety outburst tell us about your biases?
It told me to avoid public places for a few days until you move on to pestering some other commentator with your pro-genocide views.
- why draw the line on palantir? why not involve microsoft amd intel who provides their computers, or car manufacturers that provides their vehicles?
been seeing lots of these attacks on defense companies without providing a better alternative and a concrete plan they can execute
- As an American this is the first post I have ever feared replying to because the company discussed is both powerful in government and does active online monitoring and reporting to the government and could impact me forever. So that might in itself include an answer. I wanted to post and highlight direct quotes from this company's leadership but honestly think there is a risk of personal blowback in some way.
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144 points by mikece 21 hours ago | 58 comments