Weapon-wielding robots and the rights of Starbucks employees were two hot topics at the Oct. 19 Atlanta City Council meeting, a chaotic afternoon that ended with a narrow-majority vote to sell the Atlanta Detention Center to Fulton County.
Council member Liliana Bakhtiari introduced the H.A.L.T. Act (Human Authority over Lethal Technology) to define and prohibit the acquisition of weapon-equipped autonomous machines in the city code. The ordinance states that artificial intelligence technology is not yet properly understood, it evokes mistrust across communities, and it undercuts the stated purpose of improving public safety.
Machines in this category include drones, robot dogs, and military-like robots that are armed with weapons.
The H.A.L.T. Act is an assurance that guardrails are in place to protect citizens and to ensure under machine-based judgment does not replace the human decision making of a trained Atlanta Police officer. City council members supported it 15-0.
“We’re not going to allow for robots with guns in Atlanta,” Bakhtiari said. “We are not going to be a city that uses our constituency as guinea pigs to be tested on by technology that we have no real understanding of.”
The issue is being debated across the country, from robot dogs coming to the aid of Massachusetts State Police to a robot security guard being cancelled in Maryland.
After compelling arguments from Starbucks employees who want to unionize for better pay and benefits, the council voted to endorse a boycott of the coffee giant. The measure called for residents, neighboring municipalities, and the City of Atlanta to refrain from purchasing Starbucks products until the company finalizes a fair union contract.
Council member Alex Wan had “graves concerns” over the “particularly performative and dangerous overreach” of the council’s scope. He said other than 2022 legislation to support unionization, the council has never boycotted a business.
“I think that is an incredibly dangerous precedent for us to take a stand [on] beyond what we have already done,” Wan said.
Council voted 11-3 to support the boycott. Wayne Martin abstained because he worked at Starbucks and owns stock in the company, but showed support for the workers’ boycott. Similar legislation has already been passed in Philadelphia and St. Louis.
“I think it actually sets a dangerous precedent to continue to allow billionaires to exploit Georgia workers for profit,” Council member Kelsea Bond responded. “These are the workers that keep this city running, and we owe it to them to support union activity and one of the most impressive unionization drives that this country has seen in the last several decades.”
Danielle Stolton, a 12-year Starbucks employee, said the company continues to “violate labor law, ignore workers, and put profit over people.” She said workers want to earn $17 an hour and basic workplace protections.
“To finish our contract it would only cost the company one day of profit that we make them. Please support our legislation and show corporations you care more about workers than a $7 cup of coffee. Boycott Starbucks until they complete their promise,” Stolton said. “No contract? No coffee.”
