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> A robot is better than scared and well armed officer You know how a lot of people is upset with companies like google for the lack of humanity of their moder

by kace91 7y ago

> A robot is better than scared and well armed officer You know how a lot of people is upset with companies like google for the lack of humanity of their moderation policies? like when a youtube channel is unfairly demonetised because an algorithm incorrectly flagged it? Imagine that, but with the choice to maim or kill.

reustle 7y ago
It will be a long time until AI is making those decisions. In this case they'll just be a remote camera and maybe a taser?
OJFord 7y ago
The article says that Boston Dynamics agrees with you, and has a clause in the lease agreement requiring that it not be equipped with weapons or anything to 'physically harm' a person.
- rburhum 7y ago
  this is definitely one of the few cases where I immediately stop trusting a private company and ask for heavy regulation...
- retSava 7y ago
  Well the lease agreement for our office has changed a couple of times just the last two years, also without actually needing a re-sign of the agreement. So I think that's a pretty weak protection.
- kypro 7y ago
  And Google said it wouldn't be evil, so you're either wrong or naive.
  - OJFord 7y ago
    Well, I'm only as wrong as the article. I don't think I'm being naïve - at the very least it means that BD doesn't want the bad PR from being a robotic armaments company at the moment, which affords time for various groups to raise concerns, awareness, and petition for legislation guarding against it - also as mentioned in the article - on the other side of the agreement, i.e. disallow police forces from buying or using weapons that are not in the direct control of a human, or whatever the wording might be.
- anigbrowl 7y ago
  That can be creatively abused. There's nothing to stop cops running it at someone to either force them into danger or provoke a reaction which causes the officers to 'fear for their lives' - at least until such time as they're caught doing so. Much depends on the internal culture of the police department in question, and as we all know some of them are Not Great in the ethical department.
htelrtjhrt 7y ago
Given how many times US police officers killed unarmed subjects in ridiculous situations because they "feared for their life", I'd rather take my chances with these robot dogs. They don't "fear for their life", and don't need to react in seconds.
- trophycase 7y ago
  Don't be ridiculous. Some police officers are sociopathic, but on the other hand every robot is sociopathic as it stands.
- air7 7y ago
  You've been brain washed. The vast vast majority of police interactions are done justly and without hurting the innocent even though the officers are carrying a gun at all times. It's a very high bar to compare against.
  - germinalphrase 7y ago
    You are perhaps missing the point. ‘Fearing for one’s life’ is the legal bar for justified use of force by law enforcement officers. Remove that fear by sending in a robot rather than a human and fewer deaths will be legally justifiable.
    - air7 7y ago
      Yes, I (think I) understand. My point was that while a robot indeed won't have a wrongly felt "fear for one's life" like a human cop might (be it genuine or a cover-up), it will certainly have other bugs. And because (I claim) humans cops are generally very very good at handling situations correctly, it's not at all obvious the shift will have a net positive effect.

by kace91 7y ago

reustle 7y ago

It will be a long time until AI is making those decisions. In this case they'll just be a remote camera and maybe a taser?

OJFord 7y ago

The article says that Boston Dynamics agrees with you, and has a clause in the lease agreement requiring that it not be equipped with weapons or anything to 'physically harm' a person.

rburhum 7y ago
this is definitely one of the few cases where I immediately stop trusting a private company and ask for heavy regulation...
retSava 7y ago
Well the lease agreement for our office has changed a couple of times just the last two years, also without actually needing a re-sign of the agreement. So I think that's a pretty weak protection.
kypro 7y ago
And Google said it wouldn't be evil, so you're either wrong or naive.
- OJFord 7y ago
  Well, I'm only as wrong as the article. I don't think I'm being naïve - at the very least it means that BD doesn't want the bad PR from being a robotic armaments company at the moment, which affords time for various groups to raise concerns, awareness, and petition for legislation guarding against it - also as mentioned in the article - on the other side of the agreement, i.e. disallow police forces from buying or using weapons that are not in the direct control of a human, or whatever the wording might be.
anigbrowl 7y ago
That can be creatively abused. There's nothing to stop cops running it at someone to either force them into danger or provoke a reaction which causes the officers to 'fear for their lives' - at least until such time as they're caught doing so. Much depends on the internal culture of the police department in question, and as we all know some of them are Not Great in the ethical department.

htelrtjhrt 7y ago

Given how many times US police officers killed unarmed subjects in ridiculous situations because they "feared for their life", I'd rather take my chances with these robot dogs. They don't "fear for their life", and don't need to react in seconds.

trophycase 7y ago
Don't be ridiculous. Some police officers are sociopathic, but on the other hand every robot is sociopathic as it stands.
air7 7y ago
You've been brain washed. The vast vast majority of police interactions are done justly and without hurting the innocent even though the officers are carrying a gun at all times. It's a very high bar to compare against.
- germinalphrase 7y ago
  You are perhaps missing the point. ‘Fearing for one’s life’ is the legal bar for justified use of force by law enforcement officers. Remove that fear by sending in a robot rather than a human and fewer deaths will be legally justifiable.
  - air7 7y ago
    Yes, I (think I) understand. My point was that while a robot indeed won't have a wrongly felt "fear for one's life" like a human cop might (be it genuine or a cover-up), it will certainly have other bugs. And because (I claim) humans cops are generally very very good at handling situations correctly, it's not at all obvious the shift will have a net positive effect.