Aug 2, 2019 04:36 PM
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/neom-futur...udi-arabia
EXCERPT: Flying cars. Robot maids. Glow-in-the-dark sand. An artificial moon. Robotic dinosaurs (really). [...schools with 3D hologram faculty...] No, this isn’t a scene from Blade Runner, but the hyper-futuristic city of Neom, and it’s actually happening.
It’s a vision that sounds like it just leapt out of a cinematic future. The Wall Street Journal recently reviewed a mind-blowing 2,300 pages of classified documents from consultants planning out the $500 billion city in Saudi Arabia with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, otherwise knows as MBS. It seemed like the most epic science fiction movie come to life, until further investigation of the documents raised ethical concerns among all those bright lights.
Think of Neom as Dubai on steroids. Per WSJ, the documents stated that it will be built from scratch, not as an enhancement to an existing city, to “ensure the availability of best services with social limitations,” as MBS said. [...] Another feature that has earned its fair share of scrutiny? The city’s surveillance. [Smart city] It will be swarming with drones, cameras, and facial-recognition software that will monitor citizens’ every move. ... Neom will have human gene-editing clinics that go beyond just corrective treatments, to enhance human strength and IQ — as much like the end goal of Elon Musk’s Neuralink. (MORE - details)
EXCERPT: Flying cars. Robot maids. Glow-in-the-dark sand. An artificial moon. Robotic dinosaurs (really). [...schools with 3D hologram faculty...] No, this isn’t a scene from Blade Runner, but the hyper-futuristic city of Neom, and it’s actually happening.
It’s a vision that sounds like it just leapt out of a cinematic future. The Wall Street Journal recently reviewed a mind-blowing 2,300 pages of classified documents from consultants planning out the $500 billion city in Saudi Arabia with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, otherwise knows as MBS. It seemed like the most epic science fiction movie come to life, until further investigation of the documents raised ethical concerns among all those bright lights.
Think of Neom as Dubai on steroids. Per WSJ, the documents stated that it will be built from scratch, not as an enhancement to an existing city, to “ensure the availability of best services with social limitations,” as MBS said. [...] Another feature that has earned its fair share of scrutiny? The city’s surveillance. [Smart city] It will be swarming with drones, cameras, and facial-recognition software that will monitor citizens’ every move. ... Neom will have human gene-editing clinics that go beyond just corrective treatments, to enhance human strength and IQ — as much like the end goal of Elon Musk’s Neuralink. (MORE - details)