Robot Makers Promise to Not Weaponize Their Machines, Stop Others from Doing So

The robotics firm Boston Dynamics and five other companies have signed an open letter opposing the weaponization of general-purpose robots.

Agility Robotics, ANYbotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics, and Unitree are six of the most prominent technology companies, and they all agree that highly developed robots have the potential to bring about significant positive changes in our professional and personal lives, NPR reported.

There is a risk that unscrupulous people might use them to "invade civil rights or to threaten, harm, or intimidate others," the Robot Makers stated.

They warned against installing weaponry on remotely or autonomously controlled robots that may navigate to previously unreachable areas poses significant dangers and major ethical considerations.

The tech companies have promised not to install Robot weapons to "advanced-mobility general-purpose robots" or the enabling software. Moreover, they pledged to monitor product sales to prevent customers from misusing their goods for illicit purposes.

The Robot Makers have stated that they have no problem with governments using "existing technology" to maintain security and uphold their laws.

Public Opposes Robot Weaponization

The Stop Killer Robots campaign claims that approximately 100 countries and a majority of people are opposed to autonomous Robot weapons. These are weapons systems that can function without the assistance of a human operator.

The UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons failed to achieve an agreement on killer robots last year, reportedly owing to opposition from the US, the UK, and Russia, per CNBC.

Boston Dynamics has been under fire in New York City for providing unarmed robots to police departments, although the firm's contract with the NYPD forbids the NYPD from utilizing the Spot robot as a weapon, per ARS Technica.

The company insists that all of its law enforcement technologies are meant to perform dangerous duties, such as examining suspected shipments, not inflict injury.

Companies Seek Government Help To Ensure Safety

In the letter, the Robot Makers clarified that they are "not taking issue with existing technologies that nations and their government agencies use to defend themselves and uphold their laws."

The tech companies recognize that their efforts alone will not eliminate the threats. Hence, they urge governments to join us in encouraging the responsible deployment of these robots and prohibiting any form of abuse like the use of Robot weapons.

The Robot Makers open letter reads: "We also call on every organization, developer, researcher, and user in the robotics community to make similar pledges not to build, authorize, support, or enable the attachment of weaponry to such robots. We are convinced that the benefits for humanity of these technologies strongly outweigh the risk of misuse, and we are excited about a bright future in which humans and robots work side by side to tackle some of the world's challenges."

The company's pledge follows a week in which Elon Musk unveiled his humanoid robot, "Optimus," and the internet went into a frenzy talking about terrifying automatons, The New York Post reported.

Musk said the robot may benefit "millions" and bring an abundant future where people can have everything they want "in terms of products and services."