In a bid to combat school shooting incidents, schools across Florida have turned to armed drones designed to target attackers in mere seconds, although many are understandably worried about the risk that they pose.
Robocop might have at one point seemed like a distant future that hopefully wouldn't come true, yet it seems as if the world creeps ever closer to a dystopia akin to what we're used to seeing in science fiction.
The rise of artificial intelligence prompted many people to worry about the future, especially when it comes to the next decade following worrying statements from some of the most powerful tech executives, but new inventions could show that we're closer than we might think.
While it might seem like the perfect idea to keep people out of harms way when it comes to active shooter incidents, one company and state have established a partnership that takes things perhaps a step too far by implementing armed drones into schools.
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As reported by TechSpot, new trials approved by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have seen schools across the state experiment with armed drones as a means of defending against potential shooters, and it's just about as dystopian as you might expect.
The drones, created by a company called Campus Guardian Angel, are to sit throughout schools on charging pads which will then be activated when an active shooter situation is reported.
First responders will gain a live video feed from the drones, but they will aim to take the sting out of the situation before humans are ever needed.
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Travelling at speeds between 30mph and 50mph inside and up to 100mph outside, they ideally can quickly track down where the shooter is and neutralize the situation — with Campus Guardian Angel claiming that the process can be completed in under 15 seconds.
Thankfully while these drones are armed, it's with non-lethal or less-lethal tools that aim to distract, disorient, confront, degrade, and incapacitate shooters, as opposed to directly attacking them.
However, that still has rightfully caused plenty of alarm when it comes to the unintentional dangers it might cause to students that are either incorrectly identified as shooters by the drones, or caught in the crossfire.
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Additionally, it still remains unclear whether the presence of these drones will further complicate any ongoing active shooter situations by unnecessarily panicking the target, which could put other students and teacher in danger.
There is also the worry that individuals will be able to exploit any cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the drones, which would render them ineffective at best and hostile in worst case scenarios.
"That's some dystopian s*** that we haven't yet even seen in neither South Park nor Black Mirror," writes one comment on Reddit in response to the trials, whereas another added that "America will literally decend into a self-inflicted Skynet ruled dystopian future rather than fix the underlying problems."
The aim is that these drones will be permanently installed into schools across Florida in September and October, with operations commencing in full next January.