Hundreds of Boston Dynamics employees have petitioned company leadership to cancel a $1.3 million contract supplying four AI-powered Spot robot dogs to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the petition obtained by WBUR and reporting by The Boston Globe1,2.
The petition, sent to executives in early September, gathered roughly 300 signatures, though a Boston Dynamics spokesperson said "nearly half" were entered as "Anonymous". The company employs more than 1,500 people.
What the deal covers
Boston Dynamics is providing ICE with its Spot robots through a third-party Connecticut company, Radeco. The $1.3 million contract, settled in September, covers four robot dogs along with additional Spot technology. The deal includes a modified version of the original robot fitted with military-grade add-ons: a robotic arm, thermal camera, and sensors for explosive materials. Radeco's modified robot is nicknamed Cerberus.
ICE said the robots would provide "real-time situational awareness in hazardous, confined, or tactically uncertain environments" before agents are sent to a scene.
Employee objections
Employees wrote that the sale hurts Boston Dynamics' image and "presents us as working directly with ICE". The petition states: "We cannot be proud of working at BD when that work is being used by a government agency that brutalizes civilians, including some of our own colleagues".
While the contract runs through Radeco rather than directly with Boston Dynamics, the company will be heavily involved in technical support, according to The Boston Globe. Employees warned the deal could cause staffers to quit or turn away potential new hires.
"Many of us have gotten messages from friends and family, asking us in disbelief and horror if this news is true, and how we can live with ourselves if it is," the letter reads.
Company response
Boston Dynamics' former interim chief executive Amanda McMaster said the company is standing behind the decision to move forward with the sale. Boston Dynamics argues the robots are being sold to ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit, which primarily focuses on transnational criminal matters rather than removal operations. The company's terms and conditions for sale prohibit any attempts to weaponize the robot or use it for purposes of harm or intimidation.
A Boston Dynamics spokesperson said the letter signers represent a minority of the company's workforce and noted that half the signers did not use their names.
ANALYSIS The dispute marks a concrete instance of internal workforce resistance at a robotics firm over government use of autonomous machines, distinct from the broader policy debates that have surrounded Boston Dynamics' anti-weaponization pledges. The contract's routing through a third-party integrator that adds military-grade hardware complicates Boston Dynamics' ability to enforce its own use restrictions.
The Department of Homeland Security's plan to purchase the robots was first reported in late August. Opposition had previously come mainly from advocacy groups before the employee petition surfaced.