It seems to me that the risk in collaborating with these government agencies has less to do with the terms of your agreement but the dishonesty of the government agencies themselves. When Boston Dynamics says their robots won't be weaponized, do they really believe it? How are they making sure of it?
It reminds me of the I, Robot story where [spoiler] the makers of the subject of the story amend the first law of robotics, from "you will not allow humans to come to harm" to "you will not harm humans", to allow for robot use in certain hazardous conditions. The robot then rebelled and killed a human by allowing a weight to fall on them. (I have made minor changes to my retelling to simplify it here). [/spoiler] Does Boston Dynamics have a way to prevent a government agent from simply pushing up on the joystick until a hundred kilos are over an enemy's chest, and leaving it there until they stop breathing? Is there an in-foot neck detector?
And what action against the United States government will Boston Dynamics take if they find out the United States was dishonest? Would there even be any real consequences, at least while the conspirators remain alive? Would they be pardoned?
It seems to me that the risk in collaborating with these government agencies has less to do with the terms of your agreement but the dishonesty of the government agencies themselves. When Boston Dynamics says their robots won't be weaponized, do they really believe it? How are they making sure of it?
It reminds me of the I, Robot story where [spoiler] the makers of the subject of the story amend the first law of robotics, from "you will not allow humans to come to harm" to "you will not harm humans", to allow for robot use in certain hazardous conditions. The robot then rebelled and killed a human by allowing a weight to fall on them. (I have made minor changes to my retelling to simplify it here). [/spoiler] Does Boston Dynamics have a way to prevent a government agent from simply pushing up on the joystick until a hundred kilos are over an enemy's chest, and leaving it there until they stop breathing? Is there an in-foot neck detector?
And what action against the United States government will Boston Dynamics take if they find out the United States was dishonest? Would there even be any real consequences, at least while the conspirators remain alive? Would they be pardoned?
[dupe] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50253750