Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari is pushing legislation that would prevent the city from buying or accepting weaponized autonomous systems and prohibit city employees and contractors from deploying them. The proposal, called the Human Authority over Lethal Technology (HALT) Act, received a unanimous recommendation from the council’s Public Safety Committee on Oct. 12. It was set for review by the Finance Committee on Oct. 14. Bakhtiari described the measure as a preemptive safeguard against a future in which machines could use lethal force without meaningful human control. “We do not have to wait for tragedy to strike,” she said, arguing that technology should support police officers rather than replace them. The proposal comes as robotic security tools are already being used in parts of Atlanta. Private security companies deploy robotic dogs downtown to monitor locations and report potential crimes in coordination with the Atlanta Police Department. Undaunted Robotics, a local startup, makes AI-powered motion detectors and robotic patrol systems; its robotic dogs have been used at affordable housing properties in and near downtown. Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told the Public Safety Committee that the department’s role is to ensure accountability in its use of artificial intelligence and other technology, including license-plate readers and cameras. He said those tools, along with access to vehicle and driver information, must be governed by clear policies, training and oversight. The debate over robotic security has also played out in cities including Boston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In August, the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross warned that the world was nearing a “moral red line” on machines autonomously targeting people. The HALT Act would address the city’s purchase and use of autonomous weapons; the committee action was a recommendation, not final approval. The Finance Committee’s review is the next scheduled step in the legislative process.