ICE wants robot dogs. Boston Dynamics' workers urge company to 'cancel the sale'

Dozens of Boston Dynamics employees have petitioned company leaders to cancel a $1.3 million sale of four Spot robot dogs and related technology to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Spot is a camera- and sensor-equipped, four-legged autonomous robot that can navigate stairs and other challenging terrain. The employees argue that doing business with ICE damages the company’s reputation and makes staff feel complicit in an agency they say spreads fear and harms civilians. They warn the deal could drive employees away and deter prospective hires; some workers have also received worried messages from friends, family and members of the public.

Boston Dynamics says the robots are intended for ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, which focuses mainly on transnational crime rather than deportation operations. ICE describes them as a way to assess dangerous or confined locations before agents enter, while maintaining that officers will retain human judgment. Interim CEO Amanda McMaster told employees the company would proceed, citing sales terms that prohibit weaponizing the robots or using them to cause harm or intimidation. The company’s ethical principles promise action if its products are misused, but it has not explained what safeguards or remedies that would involve. The dispute centers on whether contractual restrictions and the unit’s stated mission sufficiently limit the risks, or whether selling the robots still connects Boston Dynamics to harmful government activity.