Atlanta city councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari introduced a measure Monday that would bar the Atlanta Police Department from ever acquiring artificial intelligence weapons capable of killing without a human pulling the trigger.
Bakhtiari’s proposal, dubbed the H.A.L.T. Act — short for Human Authority over Lethal Technology — would prevent the department from purchasing or otherwise acquiring autonomous weapons systems, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The councilmember said she got the idea after watching a recent speech by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who announced the creation of an Autonomous Warfare Command.
A Pentagon Announcement Sparks a City Hall Response
In a September 30 speech, Hegseth announced an Autonomous Warfare Command, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Acting Secretary of the Army Adam R. Telle directed the establishment of the U.S. Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command, tasked with integrating autonomous technology across six combat formation areas by fiscal year 2028, per Army.mil. That memorandum prioritizes acquiring autonomous combat vehicles, fires, watercraft resupply, and aerial reconnaissance platforms.
Bakhtiari’s proposal comes amid federal moves on autonomous technology. In June, councilmember Kelsea Bond introduced an “AI slop” resolution. Bakhtiari represents District 5 on the Atlanta City Council and has built a legislative record around technology safeguards.
APD’s Use of Technology
APD uses drones.
The ACLU of Georgia has scrutinized APD surveillance and AI tools.
San Francisco’s Debate Over Armed Police Robots
Atlanta wouldn’t be the first city to wrestle publicly with the question of armed robots in policing. In December 2022, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors initially voted to let police deploy explosive-equipped robots in emergencies, then reversed course a week later with a vote explicitly banning lethal force by police robots after public protests, according to The Guardian. Opponents at the time argued that authorizing lethal robots would increase the risk of deadly force against civilians and accelerate police militarization.
The precedent for police use of robotic lethal force stretches back further. In July 2016, Dallas police attached C-4 plastic explosives to a Remotec bomb-disposal robot to kill an armed sniper during a standoff — the first recorded instance of a U.S. law enforcement agency using a robot to deliver lethal force, per the same Guardian report. Dallas officials defended the decision as a last resort after five officers were killed in an ambush.
Massachusetts lawmakers filed “An Act to ensure the responsible use of advanced robotic technologies” in September 2023, aiming to become the first state to ban the manufacture, sale, and operation of weaponized robots and drones, according to The Robot Report. That bill received testimony from robotics and industry experts during state hearings in 2025. Separately, six major robotics manufacturers — including Boston Dynamics, Agility Robotics, and ANYbotics — signed an open pledge in 2022 committing not to weaponize their general-purpose mobile robots or software, stating that mounting weapons on commercially available mobile robots creates severe ethical risks and damages public trust, according to Boston Dynamics.
Back in Atlanta, the H.A.L.T. Act would establish a local restriction on autonomous lethal weapons. Whether the proposal advances remains to be seen.
