Artificial intelligence technology seems to be finding applications in all industries, from fast food chains to parcel delivery and automated unmanned vehicles. Now some companies are also including AI guards to keep their business safe. However, I’m not sure if these bots can be reliable. Let’s see how robot safety experiments turn into reality.
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How are these AI guards being used?
These security robots are mainly used in office buildings and perform various tasks. Cobalt Robotics, a company that specializes in “artificial intelligence and robotic automation for routine critical tasks…” is responsible for populating these office buildings.
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Cobalt Robotics is one of the leading companies creating robots for guarding and patrolling office buildings. (CyberGuy.com/Cobalt Robotics)
Some of these tasks include things like patrolling office buildings for broken fire alarms, suspicious activity, and screening visitors. The main reason many office buildings are starting to use these robots instead of humans is because it saves them a ton of money – roughly $79,000 a year, according to a report from Forrester Research. Although they can last longer and perform multiple tasks, I’m not sure I would trust this machine with any weapons in the event of a malfunction. Let’s look at the pros and cons of using this technology.
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What are the benefits of having AI guards?
One of the big advantages of AI security guards is that they can detect more dangers than a security camera or even a human. They cannot get tired or distracted, and will be safer against intruders than risking the life of a human guard.
Another advantage is the two-way communication system with which some of these robots are being developed. Employees can report the problem directly to the bot, or if they prefer to deal with a human and can’t find one, they can request the presence of a human from the bot and it will alert the appropriate department.
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Cobalt Robotics has added many features to its bots that make human communication much easier. (CyberGuy.com/Cobalt Security)
In particular, the Cobalt Robotics guard is made of fabric and can pass for high-end furniture, so an attacker may not even realize at a glance that a guard is watching him. It could be a clever design that other companies can take note of to better hide the guard.
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What are the cons of having AI guards?
One downside is that human guards can lose their jobs. However, one could argue that humans can always be assigned to do other work, such as fixing AI technology if it’s faulty, or fixing a problem if an employee doesn’t want to go through the robot.
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Many fear that as technology advances, robots will replace human security guards. (CyberGuy.com/Cobalt Security)
And the scam that worries me the most is the malfunction of this technology. We’ve seen AI technology fail all the time, whether it’s something like ChatGPT saying the wrong thing or the self-service machine at McDonald’s not working. Also, there haven’t been many details about whether these robots can actually prevent crime. Security guards are there to keep people safe in a designated building, so I’m a little hesitant to fully trust AI bots until companies are sure they’re the safest option and won’t malfunction if necessary.
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Arming robots with weapons
The San Francisco Police Department has proposed a policy that allows robots to be armed and even lethal force in an extreme situation where the public or the police are in immediate danger. Although their policy was rejected, the police department said they were interested in bringing it back for review.
So the question is: should we trust robots to carry weapons instead of paying a human to do the job? Let us know your thoughts.
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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist with a deep love for the technology, equipment, and gadgets that make life better through his writing for Fox News and FOX Business, starting this morning on FOX & Friends. Have a technical question? Get Kurt’s CyberGuy newsletter, share your opinion, story idea, or comment on CyberGuy.com.