Boston Dynamics, Five Other Companies, Pledge Not To Weaponize Robots

Agility Robotics, ANYBotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics, and Unitree all signed the letter, written by Boston Dynamics, promising to never weaponize the robots it produces. The companies also wanted make sure none of their customers raise an army of evil robots, stating: “When possible, we will carefully review our customers’ intended applications to avoid potential weaponization. We also pledge to explore the development of technological features that could mitigate or reduce these risks.”

That should put to rest some fears of seeing an Atlas robot being trained to handle an assault rifle or a phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range … at least for now. The letter also makes a call to government bodies and lawmakers to draft legislation that will prevent the weaponization of robots by any company in the future. The company is still hopeful for a future where robots are helpful and a net positive for humanity — that is until SkyNet gets involved.