Police Robots: Helpful Tools or a Precursor to SkyNet?

“This is not the beginning of killer robotics, domestically, but it is hard to distinguish this and a drone strike,” Calo said. “The police had exhausted their other options, they thought.”

I don't really have any problem with the police using a robot to kill the Dallas shooter like they did. The guy was cornered, but still a threat to innocent people, and it would have been a risk to storm his position. Just waiting the guy out wasn't an option.

I'm not really concerned with how the application of lethal force is applied. I think we should be concerned with the decision in applying lethal force. Once the decision to use lethal force has been made, the manner in which it is applied seems rather inconsequential.

What's the difference between killing a guy with a sniper's shot, blowing him up with a bomb, hitting him with a drone strike, or just knocking him in the head with a big rock? Assuming you're only killing the target and there's no collateral damage, then all of these things are equal to me. Killing is killing.

I actually applaud the Dallas Police Department for their ingenuity in this tactic. It ended the standoff quickly, probably saving lives. If the guy had been barricaded in a house in the middle of the woods and wasn't an immediate threat to anyone, I wouldn't want deadly force used.

I just hope the weaponized robots don't become self-aware.