The Board of Supervisors in San Francisco has voted to allow the city’s police to 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 vote took place on Tuesday, with an amendment specifying that officers could only use robots wielding deadly force after employing alternative de-escalation tactics. The board also stipulated that only a limited number of high-ranking officers could authorise its use.
Dr Catherine Connolly, from the campaign group Stop Killer Robots, said the move could “make humans more and more distant from the use of force and the consequences of the use of force”.
