The leaders of Boston Dynamics and five other companies in the robotics sector signed an open letter on Thursday in which they pledge never to use their creations as weapons.
The manufacturers concerned describe in this document the list of the reasons that led them to embark on this path. The new risks posed by armed robots and the possibility of them falling into the wrong hands are particularly cited.
Armed robots, an ethical question
It was the apparently unplanned use of armed robots by several groups of people that apparently led to the realization of the danger that these creations could represent. In their open letter, the leaders explain that they believe that ” adding weapons to an autonomous or remotely controlled robot widely available to the public creates new risks and raises ethical questions “. Difficult, faced with this sentence, not to think of the explosive robot used by the police in Dallas to kill a suspect last July, which had raised a lively debate in the United States.
The signatories add that an increase in armed robots would inevitably lead to a decline in the general population’s confidence in progress. To go further, they are also committed to developing new technologies that will, on the contrary, make it possible to fight against these weapons if they were to be democratized. In addition, they call on governments around the world to legislate on the issue.
A promise that only binds those who listen to it?
Without questioning the good faith of the signatories, it should be remembered that this open letter is nothing more than that. It is therefore not a legal document, and the companies concerned do not incur any sanctions if they were to change their minds. It is also for some of them a step back: robots from Boston Dynamics, for example, have been used since last year by the French army, in particular for training special forces. .
In addition, the companies concerned are certainly heavyweights in the industry and the development of robotic technologies, but they do not cover the entire market. Tesla, for example, whose CEO was very proud to present his humanoid robot a few days ago, is not on the list. As for “killer robots”, the current war between Russia and Ukraine shows that some drones are already very developed and used on a large scale to achieve military objectives.
Sources: Engadget, BusinessWire
24