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Sunday, August 3, 2025
WorldSan Francisco reverses its plans fo 'killer robots'

Date:

San Francisco reverses its plans fo ‘killer robots’

San Francisco has overturned its decision to allow police to use lethal weapons-equipped robots.

The proposal, which was approved by the city’s legislators, the board of supervisors, last week, would have given police access to killing robots.

It had received harsh criticism from civil liberties organisations.

The board sent the proposal to committee for further review after unanimously voting to pause it on Tuesday.

The measure would have allowed the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) to use robots to kill suspects in extreme circumstances.

The vote came following a new California law requiring city police forces to keep inventories of military-grade equipment and seek approval for their use.

Dr Catherine Connolly, from the group Stop Killer Robots, told the BBC the move was a “slippery slope” that could distance humans from killing.

Protesters and several dissenting board members gathered on the steps of city hall to call for the city to reverse its decision.

In a secondary vote, usually reserved to rubber-stamp board decisions, they decided to overturn their vote.

The original proposal will now be refined or entirely scrapped.

Police have argued that the robots would only be used in extreme circumstances.

A spokesperson for SFPD said “robots could potentially be equipped with explosive charges to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed, or dangerous subjects”.

They also said robots could be used to “incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects who pose a risk of loss of life”.

This type of lethal robot is already in use in other parts of the US.

In 2016, police in Dallas, Texas, used a robot armed with C-4 explosive to kill a sniper who had killed five officers and injured several more.

 

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