San Francisco’s ruling Board of Supervisors has voted to let the city’s police use robots that can kill.
The measure permits police to deploy robots equipped with explosives in extreme circumstances.
Dr Catherine Connolly, from the group Stop Killer Robots, said the move was a “slippery slope” that could distance humans from killing.
The city’s police – the SFPD – told the BBC they do not currently operate any robots equipped with lethal force.
This decision raises alot of quesiton about certain scenarios: what if the robot makes a bad decision? or suddenly it kills innocent people? Advocates for the measure said it would only be used in extreme situations and it will incapacitate violent and armed suspects, and in this way save more police lives. Moreover, a spokesperson for the police said “robots could potentially be equipped with explosive charges to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed, or dangerous subjects”.Opponents, however, say the authority could lead to further militarisation of the police force.
This type of lethal robot is already in use in other parts of the United States. In 2016, police in Dallas, Texas, used a robot armed with C-4 explosive to kill a sniper who had killed two officers and injured several more.
“No policy can anticipate every conceivable situation or exceptional circumstance which officers may face. The SFPD must be prepared, and have the ability, to respond proportionally,” a spokesperson said.
Dr Catherine Connolly also said the move could “make humans more and more distant from the use of force and the consequences of the use of force”.
She also said the measure could make it “easier to make decisions to use lethal force in the first place”.
It will be very interesting to see how this killer robot’s will beahve in dangerous situations, and if other cities around the world will consider allowing it in their city.