Israel AI robot machine guns fire tear gas at Palestinian protestors

Occurred: November 2022

Israel is deploying robotic machine guns that 'frequently coat hillsides in tear gas' and unleash sponge-tipped bullets at Palestinians without warning.

According to local residents speaking to the Associated Press (AP), guns made by Israel-based Smart Shooter, a company that makes 'fire control systems' that 'significantly increase the accuracy, lethality, and situational awareness of small arms,' have been spotted at the Al-Aroub refugee camp in the southern West Bank, and in the city of Hebron.

According to Smart Shooter, the system enables Israeli authorities to monitor individuals in a crowd and lock the gun onto specific body parts. 'The system fires only after algorithms assess complex factors like wind speed, distance, and velocity,' the company told the AP.

Critics view the deployment as an intrusive and potentially damaging form of population surveillance that could easily be misused. The company did not respond to questions concerning the extent of human oversight of the system, and regarding it's security. 

Operator: Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Developer: Smart Shooter

Country: Israel

Sector: Govt - security

Purpose: Control population

Technology: Computer vision; Robotics
Issue: Human/civil rights; Safety

Transparency: Governance

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Type: Incident
Published: October 2023
Last updated: November 2023