The company is asking the entire industry to follow it in this process, but its chances of success are slim…
Boston Dynamics, the robotics company famous for the dog Spot and the bipedal robot Atlas, joined five other renowned manufacturers to formulate a common promise: in an open letter, they pledge never to militarize any of their models of robots or the software that enables them to operate.
They promised to scrupulously check what their customers intend to do with their machines. Additionally, they announced that they were going to explore a number of features to limit the risk of one of their creations being misused. They are reaching out to legislators to encourage them to explore healthy and safe applications of robotics. They also call on other manufacturers to sign their commitment.
Among the signatories are Agility Robotics, the designer of the sprinting biped robot Cassie (see our article). The list also includes AMYbotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics et Unitree.
“We are convinced that the benefits to humanity of these technologies far outweigh the risk of misuse, and we are excited about a bright future where robots and humans will work side by side to solve some of the world’s challenges.”, explain the signatories in an open letter, available ici.
A very real risk
This is not the first time that Boston Dynamics has positioned itself in this way. In February 2021, the firm strongly opposed it to a group of artists who intended to paint a collective work using a paintball gun attached to the robot. An approach that did not please the company at all, very concerned about its brand image; no way his adorable cyberdoggie is present wielding a weapon of any type.
— Boston Dynamics (@BostonDynamics) February 20, 2021
“We condemn any depiction of our technology that promotes violence or bullying. Our mission is to create and deliver amazingly capable robots that inspire, delight and positively impact society.”, the company said at the time.
The press release also recalled that these uses are explicitly prohibited by the General Conditions of Use of the robot, before specifying that “this art is a fundamentally misleading representation of Spot and how it can benefit us on a daily basis.” Remember that Boston Dynamics originally designed Spot to perform tasks such as transporting loads or rescuing avalanche victims.
So it will be interesting to see which companies join Boston Dynamics…but unfortunately, there’s a fair chance that this call won’t work out as well as expected. Indeed, several armed forces and private security groups have already started experimenting with Spot in the field.
A potentially very profitable niche
From now on, the question will therefore be to find where to place the limit. As it stands, it seems that Boston Dynamics’ reluctance is only about equipping the robot with a weapon. For other applications related to personal safety, the company is much more open.
“We support healthy, ethical and effective use of robots in public safety, such as detecting gas, mines or suspicious packages, searching for missing persons, and so on”, explain its spokespersons.
It therefore remains to be seen what scope this call will have; as it stands, it is not sure that it will have the expected effects. Once in the hands of the customer, it becomes almost impossible to verify that these rules are respected. And even if the firm pledged to cut ties with all police forces, armies, or other military entities, that would still not prevent individuals from militarizing robots.
It’s even relatively easy to do, as an Australian videographer proved in this video. Admittedly, it is not a Spot robot, but the problem is the same; if a few merrymakers managed to mount lethal weapons on a small cyberdog and then fire them, imagine what a malicious person with advanced technical skills would be capable of…
A question of time?
And the concern is that unlike this YouTuber, some of these specialists could have an obvious interest in pushing in this direction. For example, DARPA – the division of the US Army which deals with the development of weapons and combat systems – has not never hidden his love for these technologies. And this is just one example among many; it’s not probably only a matter of time before military robots invade all battlefields.
And if it does end up happening, we could witness the emergence of a vicious circle, since as always in the military sector, the construction of these combat robots will immediately become a extremely profitable sector overnight; companies will then have the choice of signing the Boston Dynamics pledge… or a contract synonymous with huge jackpot with a government or paramilitary organization. Not really reassuring about the future of the philosophy that the wizards of Massachusetts want to encourage.
This call is therefore a step in the right direction, but it will probably remain symbolic – unless Boston Dynamics and its co-signers simply seek to clear themselves of the excesses that could arise one day.