Through the mirror: We are moving ever closer to a future where law enforcement controls robots that can kill. But Atlanta has just recommended a new law that will ensure this dystopian vision doesn’t come true: the HALT (Human Authority over Lethal Technology) Act.
The bill, introduced by Councilwoman Liliana Bakhtiari, prohibits city employees and contractors, including police, from purchasing or otherwise acquiring armed autonomous systems, drones and remote-controlled machines.
In addition to drones, these autonomous killing machines include robot dogs and military-like robots armed with weapons. The law specifically exempts machines that are used exclusively to neutralize explosives.
“This is about making sure that we invest in technology with our officers and not, quite frankly, replace it with ‘RoboCop,'” Bakhtiari said.
Even though we’re not yet in the ED-209 era of asking people to put down their weapons (and then killing them even if they do), Bakhtiari believes the act is a preemptive step to ensure that doesn’t happen.
The law also aims to prevent AI-powered machines from replacing the decision-making of trained Atlanta police officers. AI’s ability to make potentially deadly decisions in war is something militaries have said for years would never happen, but that scenario seems closer than ever.
“This is about good government, good management. This is about keeping the community at the center of public safety,” Bakhtiari told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “No machine should be given the ability to make deadly decisions.”
Bakhtiari said she was prompted to introduce the legislation after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the creation of the new Autonomous Warfare Command (AutoWarCom) in September. The command is intended to accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous and semi-autonomous systems. Hegseth also wants the armed forces to introduce military specializations with an emphasis on autonomy and offer personnel specific career paths in this area.
“We know this is happening because of the minister’s announcement,” Bakhtiari told the AJC. “It’s just a stone’s throw away from being used by municipalities.”
City Council members voted 15-0 to support the bill.
In 2023, under new city rules, San Francisco police were given the authority to use lethal robotic force against violent offenders. However, the city reversed the ruling a week later after a public backlash and continues to ban robots that use deadly force.
As early as 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to use robot dogs in raids. Instead of being loaded with deadly weapons, the robots would be used to overload home networks, provide video and audio recordings from crime scenes and communicate with people.
