More than 300 employees at Boston Dynamics have signed a petition urging company leadership to terminate a deal that brings their quadruped robots to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Roughly half of the staff members who signed the document did so anonymously. The internal protest was shared with public radio and press outlets in early September.
The conflict centers on a Department of Homeland Security contract finalized on September 25. Under this agreement, a Connecticut-based firm named Radeco received $1.3 million to supply modified versions of the company's robotic dogs to ICE.
Staff members expressed deep concern over the ethics of the partnership, stating that the risks associated with the deal are too significant for the company to ignore. Some employees noted that friends and family had reacted with horror to the news.
What it means
Boston Dynamics executives have maintained their commitment to the sale. While they have stood by the contract, leadership stated that the robots provided for this purpose would not be equipped with weapons.
