ICE Plan to Buy Robot Dogs Spurs Protest From Hundreds of Boston Dynamics Employees
Employees say the $1.3 million sale of four Spot robots to ICE could damage Boston Dynamics’ reputation and drive workers away.
- Dozens of Boston Dynamics employees are petitioning to halt the sale of AI-powered Spot robot dogs to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, citing ethical concerns about the agency's practices.
- The $1.3 million deal involves four Spot robots provided through Connecticut-based Radeco; employees wrote the contract 'presents us as working directly with ICE,' an agency they claim has 'worked to sow fear.'
- A Boston Dynamics spokesperson confirmed the petition Friday, noting nearly half of the 300 signatures were 'Anonymous,' while interim CEO Amanda McMaster responded by standing behind the sale.
- Citing anti-weaponization guidelines, McMaster asked workers to 'accept this decision, even if you do not agree with it,' emphasizing customers must comply with terms prohibiting use for 'harm or intimidation.'
- The Department of Homeland Security maintains the robots provide officers with an additional tool to 'provide real-time situational awareness' in dangerous environments, though employees worry the deal will damage Boston Dynamics' reputation and workforce.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Boston Dynamics Workers Protest Use Of Robot Dogs By ICE - CleanTechnica
Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription, on Patreon, or on Stripe. Help us produce all of the high-quality, original content we publish week after week despite the challenges of content-scraping AI, antisocial media, inflation, and other hurdles. Boston Dynamics makes those cute little robot dogs that amaze and amuse ...
Robotics Employees Petition Bosses: Don’t Sell To ICE
Boston’s NPR affiliate reports: Boston Dynamics employees are calling on the company to stop the sale of its AI-powered robot dogs to ICE. Known as “Spot,” Boston Dynamics’ robots are dog-like autonomous machines with four legs that can climb stairs and do backflips. They’re equipped with cameras and sensors. The company faced some backlash in … The post Robotics Employees Petition Bosses: Don’t Sell To ICE appeared first on Joe.My.God..
The management of the company insists on the business, in their opinion, the foreign police will not use robots as weapons.
Cerberus is a three-headed dog in Greek mythology that guards the gates of the underworld. Its eyes burn fiercely, and the saliva flowing from its mouth is fatal to the mere touch. In popular culture, the financial sector, and the security industry, it is adopted as an image of "ironclad security." Playing catch with people and looking after worker safety at industrial sites
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 63% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
