‘Robots with guns’: Atlanta Council member proposes autonomous weapons ban

It sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, but one Atlanta City Council member is taking steps to prevent the city’s potential use of automated killing machines.

Liliana Bakhtiari introduced a measure Monday that would prohibit Atlanta police from acquiring artificial intelligence tools capable of using lethal force without human oversight.

Bakhtiari got the idea following a recent speech in which U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the creation of an “autonomous warfare command.”

She dubbed her measure the H.A.L.T. Act, which stands for Human Authority over Lethal Technology. It aims to prevent the Atlanta Police Department from purchasing or otherwise acquiring autonomous weapons systems.

“This is about responsible government, responsible stewardship. It’s keeping community at the core of public safety,” Bakhtiari told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. “We’re just not going to have robots with guns in Atlanta. Full stop.”

Local police don’t currently use autonomous tools capable of lethal force, but Bakhtiari fears that could soon change.

“We know that this is coming because of the secretary’s announcement.” she said. “No machine should be given the ability to make lethal decisions.”

Bakhtiari said it’s only a matter of time before U.S. police departments start rolling out AI-controlled weaponry at home.

“It is a hop, skip and a jump away from being utilized by municipalities,” she said, adding: “We’re not going to replace cops with RoboCop.”

Atlanta police did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment on the legislation.

Bakhtiari’s proposal heads to the Council’s Public Safety and Finance committees next week.

After audit, Department of Watershed Management increasing commercial shutoffs

Weeks after a jaw-dropping water audit revealed Atlanta is owed $236 million in past due bills, department leaders say they’ll do a better job of collecting.

The bombshell audit showed several prominent customers with unpaid balances, including major Atlanta businesses, government entities and dozens of corporate landlords.

The more than 60,000 delinquent accounts represent nearly a quarter of the city’s water customers, the audit found. Now the water department is looking to strengthen its collections strategy, even if that means shutting off more spigots.

“Those numbers demand action and accountability,” Lena Hardy, the communications director for Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management, said in video posted to social media.

She said Watershed would shut off service for more customers with delinquent accounts and write off the outstanding debts that likely won’t be repaid.

But the department didn’t end up like this overnight, Hardy said, noting all water cutoffs were suspended in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even now, there are plenty of residents still struggling to make ends meet, she said.

“Behind these accounts are people — families with schoolchildren, seniors living on a fixed income and some of our most vulnerable residents,” Hardy said.

Chick-fil-A and Ponce City Market, two of the companies that appeared on the list, said their balances are current and that they’ve reached out to the city to avoid any future discrepancies.

Watershed Commissioner Greg Eyerly has said his department’s policy is to give customers as much notice as possible, and make water shutoffs a last resort.

Department leaders said payment plans are available and that they’re willing to work with residential customers to help get them caught up. Over the next two or three months, Watershed will focus primarily on collecting from its commercial customers.

Those who have the resources “must pay and meet their responsibility,” Hardy said in the video, vowing to “hold corporations with unpaid balances accountable.”