In a move toward further insulating the state from the friction of domestic governance, a new study from China’s People’s Armed Police (PAP) proposes a paradigm shift in crowd control: the total removal of human officers from the front lines. The research outlines a system where autonomous armored vehicles, drones, and quadrupedal "robot dogs" act as the primary interface between the government and protesters in urban environments.

The proposal hinges on the integration of unmanned systems to navigate the complexities of city streets. These machines would be tasked with everything from reconnaissance and broadcasting warnings to deploying non-lethal deterrents. By replacing human riot police with silicon and steel, the PAP aims to mitigate the physical risks to its personnel while theoretically streamlining the decision-making process through automated protocols.

This shift represents a deepening of China’s commitment to "technological security," where the friction of human empathy or hesitation is designed out of the system. While the study focuses on efficiency and safety, the deployment of autonomous machines to manage civil disobedience raises profound questions about the future of dissent. When the state’s response to protest is entirely mechanized, the traditional dynamics of political accountability are replaced by the cold logic of an algorithm.

With reporting from El Confidencial.

Source · El Confidencial — Tech