Can tanks be killed with lasers?

Plus: Five skills that AI will never replace [Blueprint]( Sponsored by Australia is making plans to deploy laser weapons on the battlefield, and main battle tanks with advanced armor are firmly in their sights. Today's lead story looks at this highly ambitious project, which will require monstrously powerful laser technology to succeed, but success will also mean less reliance on ammunition stocks and supply lines. You'll find more on the enormous energy demands of battlefield lasers below. Plus, we consider which skills and professions may be safe from losing out to AI (for now), and one man's experience of an unexpected benefit of magic mushrooms. But first, here’s [your video of the day]( . Good morning. I’m Tim, an Editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let's get started. Last Sunday, Blueprint subscribers learned about the role of seismic isolation in protecting people and property during earthquakes. Don't miss out — [subscribe to IE+]( today to recei ve exclusive interviews, features, and much more. VIDEO OF THE DAY [5 skills that AI will never replace]( [5 skills that AI will never replace]( Here are some skills and professions that cannot be easily replaced by automation. MUST READ [Can tanks be killed with lasers?]( [Can tanks be killed with lasers? Australia wants to find out]( The Australian Department of Defence has commissioned QinetiQ Australia to develop a high-energy laser powerful enough to knock out armor. This is an ambitious project, as current high-energy laser weapons only have enough punch to knock out relatively fragile drones and other non-armored aerial targets like mortars or missiles. A tank, especially a frontline main battle tank, is a different beast. Tanks often have several inches or more of armor plating over most of their hulls and turrets. If a laser were to be developed to penetrate that much metal, it would need to be monstrously powerful. However, Australia is confident it can be done. Click below to read more about this ambitious program. [Read More]( SCIENCE Can magic mushrooms cure color blindness? Study says yes Magic mushrooms have been known to treat depression and provide relief from gripping anxiety. Now, a new case study hints that these psychedelics could aid in treating color blindness. A 35-year-old male with red-green color vision deficiency (CVD) had a history of psychedelic use, after which he had noted a considerable improvement in his vision. This led the man to test the results using the Ishihara Test, the most common color vision test, and the results after mushroom ingestion were surprising. [Read More]( THE SPONSOR OF THE DAY [Duovox]( [Discovering the world's secrets in the dark is no mean feat. You need the right tools...]( For quintessential after-dark explorers or nocturnal wildlife lovers, the experience of discovering the secrets of the world beyond our visual capabilities is priceless. 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The conductive circuits created by liquid metal (LM) particles will give ‘breathable’ electronic textiles special connectivity powers to ‘autonomously heal’ themselves even when cut. [Read More]( CULTURE Samsung bans ChatGPT-like AI after security breach, warns of employee termination The South Korean company found that employees had uploaded sensitive code to AI platforms, raising fears that the data may be made available to other users. The new regulations forbid the use of generative AI systems on the company's internal networks, as well as on the company's laptops, tablets, and phones. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS Samsung have banned ChatGPT in the workplace. Do you think more companies will follow their lead? [Yes, inevitably]( [No, bad move]( [Hard to enforce]( [Wait, let me ask ChatGPT...]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Yesterday, we asked you about the wisdom of training an AI to read our thoughts. One third of you say it should be reserved for medical use, while 23% prefer an outright ban. 34% Restrict to medical use only 26% Could be useful 23% Should be banned 17% Does it work with pets? QUOTE OF THE DAY AI is likely to be either the best or the worst thing to happen to humanity. 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