Developing policies for cops using robots with lethal force

What this episode covers

Paul Scharre, Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security, discusses the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' controversial vote to allow police to use robots with lethal force, which was subsequently reversed. Scharre argues that the proposal is flawed because it ignores the primary benefit of robotics—creating physical separation to enable non-lethal de-escalation—and criticizes the hasty legislative process for lacking stakeholder input. He contrasts this with the Department of Defense's 2012 policy on autonomy, emphasizing that the San Francisco robots are fully remote-controlled with no autonomy, yet still raise significant ethical and psychological concerns for operators.