What Ethics Should Guide the Use of Robots in Policing?
The decision by Dallas police to deploy a robot to kill the man who shot and killed five officers last week appears to be unprecedented. Though the police chief said other options would have exposed officers to grave danger, the move fomented debate around the militarization of police and the ethical implications of remote-controlled use of force. What considerations should guide the use of robots in policing?
* ethics = (개인·특정 사회·직업의) 도덕 원리, 윤리, 도의, 덕의/ deploy = (군대・무기를) 배치하다/ unprecedented = 전례 없는, 미증유의/ police chief = 경찰서장/ expose sb to ~ = ~를 (유해한 환경 등에) 노출시키다/ grave danger = 중대한 위험/ foment = (문제・폭력을) 조성[조장]하다/ militarization = 군국화, 군대화; 군국주의 고취(鼓吹)/ implication = (행동・결정이 초래할 수 있는) 영향[결과]/ remote-control(led) = 원격 조종[조작]의/ policing = (경찰의) 치안 유지 활동
어떤 고려 사항들이 치안 유지 활동에서의 로봇 사용을 이끌어야 하나요?
1. Police Robots Need to Be Regulated to Avoid Potential Risks
If armed robots can take police officers out of harm’s way, in what situations should we permit the police to use them?
2. Police Robots Could Reduce the Use of Deadly Force
Robots may save police officers’ lives, and enable them to use less force in apprehending suspects, which, in turn, will allow for fair trials for suspects.
3. Focus on Human Decisions, Not Technological Ethics
Was it right to kill the Dallas gunman, whether or not it was done by a robot?
4. Technology Doesn’t Change the Need for Legal Protection
The Fourth Amendment protects citizens against unreasonable seizures, so any use of force (deployed by robot or human) must be reasonable in light of the circumstances.
Sample Essay
Focus on Human Decisions, Not Technological Ethics of Police Robots
The Alberta wildfires. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The meltdown of Fukushima.
Robots have been used to address each of these emergencies, and many more. So it should come as no surprise that police in Orlando and Dallas would use robots to respond to the recent attacks in those cities. In Orlando, a bomb robot was sent in to the Pulse nightclub after a SWAT team knocked down a wall to get in. It sent images back to law enforcement officials, who believed that the gunman had strapped explosives to some of the victims because of a photo of a battery part next to a body. (It was later revealed the part had fallen out of an exit sign or smoke detector.)
In Dallas, to my great shock, the police used their robot intentionally to kill someone. But rather than focus on the technology, we should focus on whether it was legitimate to kill Micah Johnson instead of incapacitating him. Because robots could do either.
We shouldn't pretend robots are the same as other tools. We wouldn't be having a national conversation about the use of a knife to kill a suspect. But ultimately the ethical issues around robots have to do with the new capabilities they afford. Police and others must think through how to preserve existing rights and values in light of these new affordances.
When the next crisis hits, we are going to want robots on hand. But we are also going to need policies around what is an acceptable use, and what is not.
