Currently — May 19th, 2022

May 18, 2022

What you need to know, currently.

Currently published a story today by Priya Shukla on the U.S. Border Patrol’s latest recruits — those creepy robot dogs. The AI equipped robots are being rolled out partially because of severe weather, which continues to worsen due to climate change.

“The use of so-called robot dogs at the border raises several ethical issues,” Saif Shahin, Assistant Professor of Digital Culture at Tilburg University, told Currently. “It’s a violation of privacy. The sensors on these robots are likely to collect various kinds of information about individuals near the border without their knowledge or consent.”

“Supposedly the robots will be used in instances of alleged criminal activity, though it is unclear what their role will be exactly,” writes Shukla. “Equipped with high-end cameras and a suite of sensors, these four-limbed vehicles are not that far off from the gun-toting ones that debuted at last year’s Association of the United States Army conference. But, what is key to their design, is that they are capable of navigating higher temperature areas that are perilous for CBP staff.”