San Francisco abandons plans for killer robots after backlash

[pellinore]

Killer robots will not be rolled out in San Francisco after all - with police performing a U-turn just days after the controversial policy was announced.

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) had mooted the deployment of robots equipped with explosive charges "to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects" when lives were at stake.

But on Tuesday, city supervisors voted to put the brakes on the controversial policy, although the issue will now be sent back to a committee for further discussion and could resurface again.

The board voted last week to allow the use of deadly robots in extreme circumstances, but the move thrust the famously liberal city into the centre of a debate about the future of technology and policing, with some saying arming robots was a step too close to a dystopian science fiction movie.

'No place for killer robots in our city': San Francisco abandons controversial policy after backlash (msn.com)

Edited December 7, 2022 by pellinore

[Hankenhunter]

Red states are saying, "Why didn't we think of that?".

(S)

[Tatetopa]

Not yet anyway.

[Davros of Skaro]

Thanks for your cooperation by being a dead citizen.

[pellinore]

What could go wrong?

 

[Hankenhunter]

4 minutes ago, Davros of Skaro said:

Thanks for your cooperation by being a dead citizen.

 

[Golden Duck]

3 hours ago, pellinore said:

although the issue will now be sent back to a committee for further discussion and could resurface again.

The citizens of SF need this to to the biggest committee bureaucracy can find.  And then, they need to to find the laptop of the loonie who proposed this idea.

Edited December 7, 2022 by Golden Duck

[the13bats]

49 minutes ago, Golden Duck said:

The citizens of SF need this to to the biggest committee bureaucracy can find.  And then, they need to to find the laptop of the loonie who proposed this idea.

Oh geez another laptop issue.

[HollyDolly]

 What in God's name were they thinking? Killer robots really. First it was  1984 and A Brave New World. Been waiting for  Farenheit451 to start, we already have the other two going. Now they want to bring in Dr.Who and the Dalieks, what could go wrong? These people have no brains, besides the robots would probably turn on the cops first before us, aka the 1970s or 80s movie "They only Kill their Masters" about  dogs, looked like mainly Rottwielers running amok. Might even be on Youtube for all I know.

  So I guess the cops have no huevos  they have to send in robots? Sometimes I wish Judgement Day was already here and Jesus  would do something about these idiots permanently. We need to give these fools the Darwin Award.

[spartan max2]

I'm not outright opposed to using robots in highly deadly suspect situations.

But I don't think the tech is near far enough yet. 

One innocent accidentally killed would lead to mass outrage. 

[MGB]

12 hours ago, pellinore said:

Killer robots will not be rolled out in San Francisco after all - with police performing a U-turn just days after the controversial policy was announced.

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) had mooted the deployment of robots equipped with explosive charges "to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects" when lives were at stake.

But on Tuesday, city supervisors voted to put the brakes on the controversial policy, although the issue will now be sent back to a committee for further discussion and could resurface again.

The board voted last week to allow the use of deadly robots in extreme circumstances, but the move thrust the famously liberal city into the centre of a debate about the future of technology and policing, with some saying arming robots was a step too close to a dystopian science fiction movie.

'No place for killer robots in our city': San Francisco abandons controversial policy after backlash (msn.com)

Those robots might actually be safer than some of the Police we have in some of our cities.

[+Desertrat56]

1 hour ago, spartan max2 said:

I'm not outright opposed to using robots in highly deadly suspect situations.

But I don't think the tech is near far enough yet. 

One innocent accidentally killed would lead to mass outrage. 

They do use robots to defuse bombs.   That makes sense.

[Davros of Skaro]

Just run down a flight of stairs to get away.

 

[pellinore]

1 minute ago, Davros of Skaro said:

Just run down a flight of stairs to get away.

 

That's how you escape from Daleks!

[+Desertrat56]

4 minutes ago, Davros of Skaro said:

Just run down a flight of stairs to get away.

 

The roboticists are working on making robots that can go up and down stairs.

https://youtu.be/MPhEmC6b6XU

[Davros of Skaro]

4 minutes ago, pellinore said:

That's how you escape from Daleks!

EXPLAIN!