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The chief executive of AI data mining company Palantir spent more than 10 minutes sparring with a protester over the company's technology being used in the Israel-Gaza war.
Alex Karp was attending a technology policy forum when he was interrupted by a protester.
“You’re getting wealthy off of killing Palestinians with your AI and technology. You’re killing my family in Palestine! What kind of person are you?” the demonstrator repeatedly yelled.
“Do you want to hear my answer?” Mr Karp responded, to which the demonstrator said, “Sure go ahead.”
Several laughs from the audience can be heard in the video, before the protester again responded.
“It's not funny, you're killing Palestinians. Your AI technology kills Palestinians,” she shouted, before Mr Karp quickly responded.
“Mostly terrorists that’s true.”
Last week's exchange lasted about 10 minutes and ultimately the protester was removed from the event, although another protester briefly shouted as well.
Mr Karp briefly acknowledged the sheer scale of death and tragedy in Palestine, but then segued the discussion into the defence of his company.
“The obvious solution to war is to have the West have strongest and most precise deadly weapons possible so we can minimise unnecessary deaths, and the best way you minimise those deaths is that you’re so strong that nobody attacks you,” he continued after the protester had been escorted.
“She believes I’m evil, and I believe she’s an unwitting product of an evil force, Hamas. She’s unwittingly part of their strategy. She’s a product,” he continued.
The Hill and the Valley Forum, where the argument ensued in Washington, describes itself as “private bipartisan community of lawmakers and innovators committed to harnessing the power of technology.”
Among those speaking at the forum were Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark, and OpenAI chief product officer Kevin Weil, among others.
Mr Karp briefly addressed the criticisms leveled against his company with regard to defence contracts in a letter to Palantir shareholders issued shortly after the company announced its quarterly earning where he went as far as to quote former US President Richard Nixon.
"Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win, unless you hate them. And then, you destroy yourself," he wrote.
"We note only that our commitment to building software for the US military, to those whom we have asked to step into harm’s way, remains steadfast, when such a commitment is fashionable and convenient and when it is not.
In recent months, other recent technology exhibitions and conferences have been interrupted by protesters expressing dismay towards a technology executive working with the military.
Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft's head of artificial intelligence, was interrupted in April by multiple protesters who criticised the company for having contracts with the Israeli military.
Videos posted on social media showed Mr Suleyman's speech coming to a halt as a woman in the audience shouts that he is a war profiteer.
“Stop using AI for genocide, Mustafa. Stop using AI for genocide in our region … 50,000 people have died. You have blood on your hands,” said the protester at the event on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington state.
“All of Microsoft has blood on its hands. How dare you all celebrate when Microsoft is killing children? Shame on you all.”
That demonstrator, along with several others, were Microsoft employees and were later fired for interrupting the company's event.
In recent weeks some technology firms have been more overt about defending their various military contracts.
Last week, Scale AI’s co-founder and chief executive Alexandr Wang told the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington that his company had a “moral imperative” to pursue work with the US military.
“We’re at the brink of this incredibly powerful new technology, and the applications for national security are obvious,” Mr Wang said during a discussion at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. “It’s going to be imperative for the US to stay ahead.”
Israel's punishing campaign in Gaza – which followed the 2023 attacks by Hamas-led fighters that resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the capture of 240 hostages – has killed more than 52,567 Palestinians in Gaza and injured about 118,610.
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
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Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
THREE
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
Stage 4
1. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Jumbo-Visma 04:16:13
2. Gaviria (COL) UAE Team Emirates
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal
General Classification:
1. Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 16:46:15
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07
3. Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:35
4. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40
5. Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
Fixtures
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Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Stage 5 results
1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53
2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -
3 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott -
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04
5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07
General Classification:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04
2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48
5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
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On sale: December
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Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
