Its Robots May Slay With Their Dance Moves — But Boston Dynamics Pledges They Won't Be Actually Ever Weaponized

Boston Dynamics signed an open letter pledging not to weaponize general-purpose robots in October 2022.

What Happened: The robotics startup is one among six companies in the space that wrote and signed an open letter on Thursday, stating that "one area of particular concern" when it comes to advanced mobile robots is "weaponization."

Boston Dynamics, Agility Robotics, ANYbotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics, and Unitree Robotics pledged not to “weaponize our advanced-mobility general-purpose robots or the software we develop that enables advanced robotics.”

See Also: 'Can I Purchase A Robot': NBA Hall of Famer Wants A Tesla Bot, Will Elon Musk Help Him Out?

The emergence of advanced mobile robots offers the possibility of misuse. People who aren't trustworthy could use them to invade civil rights or threaten, harm, or intimidate others, the letter says.

"Adding weapons to robots that are remotely or autonomously operated, widely available to the public, and capable of navigating to previously inaccessible locations where people live and work, raises new risks of harm and serious ethical issues," the letter said. 

Why It's Important: Boston Dynamics' state-of-the-art robots have attracted mass attention for their advanced mobility and slick looks, especially in the aftermath of a video posted by the company on YouTube going viral.

The video, published on Dec. 30, 2020, featured the company's humanoid Atlas and dog-like robot Spot grooving — and backflipping — on the song "Do You Love Me?" and has clocked over 37 million views.

When Tesla Inc. TSLA unveiled a prototype of its under-developed humanoid a week ago, the internet was rife with comparisons to similar offerings from Boston Dynamics, in particular Atlas.

Honestly, Boston Dynamics must be in hysterics right now https://t.co/YmDVT6qAIp

— James Bareham (@Happicamp) October 1, 2022

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has publicly raised concerns about artificial intelligence in the past. In 2017, Musk signed an open letter, along with the likes of Stephen Hawking, hundreds of AI and robotics researchers and several high-profile names from the business and scientific community, calling for a global ban on autonomous weapons.

This story was originally published on Oct. 7, 2022.

Photo: Courtesy of Boston Dynamics