The City of Atlanta is exploring restrictions on autonomous and remotely operated weapons through the Human Authority over Lethal Technology (HALT) Act proposed by City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari.
The legislation would prevent the City from purchasing or accepting weaponized autonomous systems, drones and remotely operated machines to prevent what Bakhtiari called “RoboCop,” a reference to the 1987 science fiction film. It would also prohibit city employees and contractors from deploying autonomous weapons.
“This is about making sure that we are investing in technology with our officers, not replacing them, quite frankly, with ‘RoboCop,'” Bakhtiari said, calling the HALT Act preemptive. “We do not have to wait for tragedy to strike.”
In an opinion piece, Bakhtiari wrote that “surveillance and autonomous weapons capable of lethal force do not necessarily make the public feel safer.”
Private security companies are currently employing robotic dogs in Downtown Atlanta to monitor spaces and report crimes in coordination with APD. Undaunted Robotics, a local start-up run by Bryan Dinner, builds AI motion detectors and robotic patrols. The company’s robot dogs have been deployed at affordable housing properties in and near Downtown.
Robotic security measures have been debated by local government in major cities including Boston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
After being unanimously recommended by members of the City’s Public Safety Committee on Oct. 12, the measure will be reviewed by the Finance Committee on Oct. 14.
At the Public Safety meeting, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department’s responsibility with AI technology – like Flock and other tools – is to enforce accountability.
“My commitment is the same thing around technology, be it license plate readers, cameras or body-worn cameras,” Schierbaum said.
“Tools used by APD, including the ability to get a search or arrest warrant, to query driver’s license information, vehicle information, cameras or license plate readers, must be surrounded with good policy, good training, and accountability,” Schierbaum said.
The United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross issued a statement in August warning against being “dangerously close to crossing a moral red line: the autonomous targeting of humans by machines.”
