NYC Council member wants to ban NYPD from attempting to arm robots

New York City Police Department robots are banned from being armed with weapons, and one New York City Council member wants to make sure it stays that way.

As artificial intelligence evolves, the idea of an armed robot feels like a feasible reality for some.

"A proactive approach"

In 2023, former Mayor Eric Adams brought back the NYPD's robotic dog, known as the Digidog. Now, a new bill aims to set limits.

Councilmember Jennifer Gutierrez plans to introduce the bill Thursday.

"It's a proactive approach," Gutierrez said.

It will ban the NYPD from attempting or threatening to use a robot armed with any weapons, and bans the use of robots in any manner that can likely cause physical injury.

"We do not want these robot dogs to take the place of a police officer," she said.

Gutierrez said this bill is not an attack on NYPD, and it will not apply to drones.  

An NYPD spokesperson says their robots are unarmed, and released a statement reading, in part, "The NYPD deploys robotics during the course of critical incidents for the purpose of preserving human life."

"They may get it wrong"

"NYPD policy currently bans police from arming robots, but this would make it permanent," said Eleni Manis, the research director at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project.

Manis adds that there is a real concern with officers using armed robots to make life-or-death decisions from a distance.

"They may not appreciate the gravity of what they're doing, and they may get it wrong," she said.

In 2016, the Dallas Police Department rigged a robot with a bomb to kill a gunman who shot and killed five police officers as he was barricaded in a building. While this marked a first, for some it's alarming.

"Malfunction, failure, you know, that kind of thing. They may kill the wrong person," New Yorker Tomas Vojvoich said.