New York's Police Robot in the Doghouse

Every appearance of "Digidog" triggers outrage. Now the Mayor has pledged to look into it.

I would not bet on the New York City Police Department getting to keep "Digidog," its four-legged robot. Earlier this week Mayor Bill de Blasio said "if in any way it’s unsettling to people we should rethink the equation," and at least two candidates in June’s election for his office issued anti-robot statements that were factually ridiculous but rhetorically potent. Both said “Digidog” (the NYPD name for the device, called Spot by its builder, Boston Dynamics) shouldn't be used.

Keep an eye on this controversy. There are going to be more robot-politics fights like it (as there should be, in a democracy). And this one offers lessons for future disputes. The most important by far, is this: Robots don't just do the physical tasks they were engineered to perform. People also use the machines for symbolic purposes. They use robots to signal who they are, what they care about, and who they stand with. Those "off-label" uses aren't incidental fluff. They're going to determine which robot…