A Robot Vice Squad Is Something to Fear
Singapore tests out a device that spots smokers and sidewalk skateboarders, and yells at them
For a long time police robots were simple, understandable, limited in their use and, most importantly, familiar. The bomb squad machine defusing an explosive is something we've all seen in movies and television shows. And what is familiar can't be a scary robot. It's just a handy tool that we perceive doing its work in the background of life, not holding our interest.
However, robots have been getting steadily cheaper and smarter, which means (a) they get assigned new, unfamiliar jobs and (b) more police departments can acquire them. So there's a steady spate of stories about new police robots, a lot of which mention fear and anxiety.
I have mixed feelings about these. On the one hand, it is wise to be wary and vigilant about powerful technologies for police forces --- which can be brutal and oppressive, even when they don't work for dictators. On the other hand, it is not…