The Honolulu Police Department spent $150,000 in federal COVID relief funds to purchase a Boston Dynamics Spot robot to take temperatures of homeless individuals at encampments, raising concerns about dehumanization and potential future surveillance uses.
The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) purchased a Boston Dynamics Spot robot for $150,045 using federal CARES Act funding intended for pandemic relief. The robot was deployed at the Keehi Lagoon Beach Park homeless encampment to take temperatures of unhoused individuals as COVID-19 screening, replacing human interaction with robotic surveillance. According to deployment logs from September-November 2021, the robot was regularly used for 'temperature' and 'dinner' duties, though it occasionally lost signal or couldn't deploy due to weather conditions. HPD officials claimed the robot could save $117,000-$242,760 over 90 days by reducing officer exposure risks and overtime costs. Training documents indicate the robot is prohibited from weaponization but may be used for 'other duties' after the pandemic ends, including potential tactical operations with commander approval. Civil rights advocates, including the ACLU of Hawaii, criticized the purchase as dehumanizing treatment of vulnerable populations and raised concerns about future surveillance uses. The purchase was part of broader CARES Act spending by HPD totaling approximately $40 million, which exceeded the city's $25 million Household Relief Fund for individuals and families in need.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Delegating by humans of key decisions to AI systems, or AI systems that make decisions that diminish human control and autonomy, potentially leading to humans feeling disempowered, losing the ability to shape a fulfilling life trajectory, or becoming cognitively enfeebled.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed