A bill proposed last September in Massachusetts to ban the manufacture and sale of armed robots continues to stand out in the absence of legislation on the issue in the United States or around the world.
Earlier this week, Massachusetts State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa spoke to a reporter from US media outlet TechCrunch on the topic to explain what such a law would do to ban what some call “robots.” .
The law would prohibit the sale of robots equipped with weapons to the public, but also the use of such robots to harass or attack other people.
The aim of this law “is to prevent ordinary people from using robots as weapons, not to prevent the very good use of robots that is already being practiced,” she clarified.
Therefore, the law is aimed at ensuring the legitimacy of robots already made by companies like Massachusetts-based Boston Dynamics rather than slowing the development of the technology.
These robots are already being used or integrated into their operations by law enforcement agencies and emergency services such as the fire department.
“People who use it [chiens robots de Boston Dynamics] Hunting by attaching guns to it or something similar – we don’t want to see that,” the country representative told the media.
The law has still not passed in Massachusetts, but this type of legislation will become more common in the current climate, according to Ms. Sabadosa.
In Canada, the use of such weapons has been questioned and discussed since 2014.
The use of smart weapons is an active debate in the United States and around the world, as the United Nations calls to protect “humanity” from “killer robots” and ban such weapons starting October 6, 2026.