The evolution of robots and the decline of humans: San Francisco approves police use of 'killer robots'

 

Coletividade Evolutiva
December 2nd

It is said that fifth generation tech, or simply 5G, will play an important role in autonomous cars and super-fast internet speeds. That's a great advertisement to get everyone to accept it, right? And while ir's true, it is only a part of the story.

We now have artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous machines, autonomous killer robots, along with other technologies which will also drive this revolution and lead to humans becoming obsolete.

San Francisco begins devaluing human beings for social policing

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors has approved the use of robots with the power to kill in police operations. The measure allows the police to use robots equipped with explosives in extreme circumstances. According to him, robots could also be used to "disable or disorient violent, armed or dangerous suspects who pose a risk of death". Words that in the near future will be rosy for all dissidents of government dictatorships...

"The robots could potentially be equipped with explosive charges to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed or dangerous people," a police spokesman explained to the BBC.

For Catherine Connolly, of the Stop Killer Robots activist group, the decision represents a "slippery slope" that could distance humans from deaths; while other opponents claim it could lead to further militarization of the police force.

The council also stipulated that only a limited number of high-ranking officials could authorise its use. This type of lethal robot is already in use in other parts of the United States. In 2016, police in Dallas, Texas, used a robot armed with C-4 explosives to kill a gunman who had killed two officers and injured several others.

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) said the department does not currently have any robots equipped with lethal force, but that such a measure may be necessary in the future. The federal government has long distributed military-grade equipment such as camouflage uniforms, bayonets and armored vehicles to aid local law enforcement.

"No policy can anticipate every conceivable situation or exceptional circumstance which officers may face. The SFPD must be prepared, and have the ability, to respond proportionally," a spokesperson said.

Connolly, of the activist group Stop Killer Robots, believes that the approval of the use of robots could "make humans more and more distant from the use of force and the consequences of the use of force ...". And, in her opinion, the measure could make it "easier to make decisions to use lethal force".

The dangers of autonomous killer robots

In response to growing concerns about autonomous weapons, AI scientists and researchers, together with the Stop Killer Robots coalition have created a video that depicts a disturbing future where lethal autonomous weapons become accessible and ubiquitous in every part of the world. 

 

Source: https://www.coletividade-evolutiva.com.br/2022/12/sao-francisco-aprova-uso-de-robos-assassinos.html