Where a neighbour is running a drone irresponsibly, it’s far quicker to have ‘a friendly chat’. Rumour has it, that worked very efficiently a street away from where I lived a couple of years back. Different of course when its a corporation flying them …
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That may be so, but misses the point. It’s like having someone in the neighbourhood with a WiFi jammer. Any time they feel so inclined, they flick the switch and all of your ‘smart’ devices are suddenly deaf, dumb and blind. Another parallel would be someone who can get into the local electricity cabinet and just pull out wires connecting to the neighbour with whom they had a spat last week.
It may be possible to do, but is it right?
What could possibly go wrong? 
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Quite a lot can go wrong. Noting larger sized drones are more than toys.
Sometimes it only takes a few to act irresponsibly to force a change on the majority.
While a standard drone has a limited range, larger drones also have the potential to operate autonomously. That may be by design (delivering pizza) or through the use of modified software.
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They’re Back!
Not those ugly little Gremlins, and not the Australian Cricket team, who for the moment have remembered they exist to play cricket and win?
Not quite the answer some of us were expecting perhaps?
First drones save us from starvation with fast food delivery, next they cure the world of disease, and now they save Australia from high unemployment by bringing us all jobs! 
More spin than a Wing drone with all 12 x 8,000rpm lift propellers going at once?
And for added balance,
Queensland Minister for Innovation Kate Jones, in a press release, said the company Wing’s new service in Logan “would create jobs for drone pilots in Queensland”.
In announcing the trial in late July, Ms Jones praised Wing and said “we’re working with the world leaders in drone technology to create jobs for Queenslanders”.
While it appears “The Great ScoMo” has a contender for magician of the year, Alphabet through it’s ‘Other Bets’ group and apt named subsidiary Wing appears to deliver the real technology overseas.
The ABC reported for the Canberra trial,
Wing recorded revenue of more than $5 million during the period. The company recorded a profit of $335,000 after paying millions to its overseas corporate parent.
P.S.
Kate Jones is a Qld State Labour Minister.
The LNP State Opposition is all for the trial too, NOT? No politics to be seen here! More great content in the ABC news item.
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Hilarity ensued, except among those who thought they might finally find a job.
Nobody would use drones for delivery if they needed someone sitting at ‘base camp’ doing the navigation! It would not be economically sensible, and so the whole point of ‘autonomous’ drones is that they are… autonomous!
As for the profit-shifting by Alphabet, that’s par for the course. I mean, it’s their wicket? It’s enough to bowl a maiden over?
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Not all drones fly. I rather like the squad of robot dogs.
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Until some mischievous programmer decides that the robot dogs should also stop and mark trees, leave a (neatly bagged) bundle in the middle of the footpath, and attack all other dogs on sight.
The companies claim to be developing robots that will fit in with humans, not be too obtrusive yada yada. What they’re ignoring is the capacity of humans for idiocy and senseless destruction. (On the bright side, that particular robot made it through Europe and Canada before being placed into the most hostile environment on Earth.)
The other problem that seems to be hanging unmentioned is one of who controls what goes into the robots and is delivered. Are they locked between supplier and recipient, or could someone with a grudge load ‘a little extra’ in order to fulfil their desires to kill and maim others? I seriously could not see these being welcomed any time soon at most government security agencies, given the potential risks. While those risks are mitigated somewhat with flying drones, one wonders how difficult it would be to substitute even one of them for a ‘special delivery’.
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For consumers it might present a challenging choice.
In one instance to only choose services that come traditionally by the hands of human control and interactions.
In the other instance to trust AI and machines and their owners to do no harm, and only act in the best interests of the customer.
Security in either instance may not be assured.
For the AI driven solution, security in the world of automation and control and the internet, comes from keeping people out.
Is there a risk with AI delivered solutions, assurance of security will be falsely attributed as an inherent property, and used in promotion, a marketing tool?
For consumers transparency is part of ensuring trust. It would seem more likely the AI owners will want to realign that consumer need.
Or are the risks self evident through the failures, some say contempt or arrogance of the likes of Google, Facebook and others, that will force open their corporate control rooms and IT?
Why should we care?
Perhaps our laws favour prosecution of human actors over machines that malfunction. Even though a machine or system can err, how many of the human hands behind the technology are prosecuted or do time?
P.S.
Likely my comments and those preceding say as much about AI as they do about the implications of the adoption of drones as part of enterprise and consumer solutions.
There appear to be some serious questions not being considered in those supporting the trials. We already know you can’t legally interfere with the operation of a drone flying over your property. CAA offence!
And if one crashes on your property it appears you can’t touch it either, but the operators may be able to enter your property to recover the drone. Legal precedent untested so far? It’s an air crash investigation!
If under attack from a drone, oops drone malfunction, is it self defence, avoidance action or indefensible at law?
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Update. The birds are with us 
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I’d be a little upset too. Imagine setting home as new neighbour, family on the way. The neighbour has a drone drop off their morning coffee every morning. And then doesn’t bother to invite you in to share a cup? 
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Is one of the secrets to the success of enterprises outwitting consumers how they can get government support without asking us consumers. All to better serve us. Ha ha!
Thanks to The Conversation. Apparently there is now an opportunity for public consultation!
Commercial delivery drones, are they really delivering emergency first aid in the middle of the night, or a coke and cholesterol laden fast food snack because a fresh salad is not to die for?
In early November, the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure invited public comment on proposed Australia-wide “drone delivery guidelines” it has been quietly developing with industry stakeholders. …….
The draft guidelines focus on minimal technical considerations concerning land-use planning (suggesting no special accommodations need to be made for drones), and safety and noise issues. These issues matter, but they entirely overlook the stakes of permitting delivery drones to dominate our skies.
But a bigger question for the public is about the skies above our heads. Do we want to live under a cloud of drones?
At present, most of the time people are free to enjoy the skies above their homes and communities. Kids can fly kites and enthusiasts can fly their own drones. Drone delivery risks privatising a new layer of that common space, and handing it over to Alphabet and others.
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Drones are wonderful, in particular circumstances. For example, there’s a Newcastle photographer who is VERY good, and he has a drone which has a high quality camera and he takes great shots of the city and beaches… which he also does wth his land based gear. I have a mini drone which was as cheap as chips ad which has a camera on board… no idea how good it is because I still haven’t flown it. Only bought it for the purpose of learning to fly one. I’ll get round to it. One day.
HOWEVER!!! I simply do NOT want Alphabet/Google delivering my stuff. I don’t trust them with whatever info they may acquire… Some time back, Amazon was proposing a similar thing… no idea what happened to that
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As a drone pilot, I think junk food delivery is a terrible use for drones. Emergency rescue, fire spotting, mapping etc great, but profit making activities for big business 
Drones are certainly very useful on occasion, like the time I recorded a giant Dinosaur Gourd falling from the sky!
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… super important to capture these moments, if not for the proof it would be a struggle to believe !
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