Boston Dynamics says that if its robot can help keep people safe, it should be used, regardless of political implications
Boston DynamicsCompany statement reported by Boston.com
Responding to the finalized ICE contract, Boston Dynamics says that, regardless of political implications or personal feelings about the organizations involved, its robot should be used if it can help keep people safe.
“Regardless of any political implications or personal feelings about the organizations involved, if our robot can help keep people safe, we believe it should.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Boston Dynamics employees urge the company to cancel its ICE robot-dog sale; the company stands by the deal
In September 2026, Boston Dynamics employees sent company leadership a letter urging it to cancel the sale of four Spot robots to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under a $1.3 million contract. The letter, reported by WBUR and The Boston Globe on October 23, says the deal ties the company to an agency it accuses of brutalizing civilians. Interim chief executive Amanda McMaster told employees the company is standing by the sale. Boston Dynamics says the robots go to ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit and that its terms bar weaponization or use for harm or intimidation.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Boston.com report on ICE's finalized $1.3 million contract for four Spot robots, which the contract says will search tunnels at border crossings. It quotes the contract and a Boston Dynamics statement.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Boston.com reported on September 30 that ICE had finalized a $1.3 million contract for four Spot robots. A Boston Dynamics spokesperson told the outlet the robots are for ICE's investigations of transnational crimes through Homeland Security Investigations, not its Enforcement and Removal Operations. Just before this passage, the company's statement says DHS has used Spot robots for several years to help keep people safe.
After the quotation
The report adds that the robots are being fitted with a kit, made by the Connecticut company RADeCO, that detects chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive hazards.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Boston Dynamics' sale of Spot robots to ICE, the company defends the sale on the ground that the robot helps keep people safe.
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More from this case
Read the full caseAmanda McMaster, then Boston Dynamics' interim chief executive, tells employees the Spot robot sale to ICE is in line with the company's purpose
Boston Dynamics
“We believe this decision is in line with our purpose of ethically advancing intelligent machines in service of humanity”Read statement
Jonathan Paz says cameras, vehicles and AI have all been used against the public and warns against expecting ICE's robots to be different
“Whether it's cameras, it's vehicles, it's AI, and all this software data collection software, all of it has been abused and used against the public, so we should not expect anything different”Read statement
ICE says the robot gives officers an additional tool to assess dangerous situations before putting people at risk
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
“Like with our other law enforcement partners around the country, this robot platform provides law enforcement officers with an additional tool to safely assess potentially dangerous situations before placing personnel or the public at risk”Read statement
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- Boston Dynamics says that if its robot can help keep people safe, it should be used, regardless of political implications
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The Dispute Index. "Boston Dynamics says that if its robot can help keep people safe, it should be used, regardless of political implications". First published: 2026-10-30. Last updated: 2026-10-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/7322-responding-to-the-finalized-ice-contract-boston-dynamics