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Watch Google fire a gun -- kinda

"OK, Google, start a conversation about autonomous weapons."

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
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Sean Hollister

No, this isn't Google Assistant's latest feature. It's a hack, and a cheap one at that. An off-the-shelf CO2-powered pellet gun, a Google Home smart speaker and a TP-Link smart outlet that sends electricity to a solenoid that actually pulls the trigger.

But put it all together, and you've got a conversation-starting piece of art. A glimpse into a future, maybe, where autonomous weapons could theoretically mow people down. Artist Alexander Reben told Engadget that he didn't need to use a Google Home -- it could have as easily been an Amazon Echo or any other such device. 

The video comes at a particularly interesting time for Google, though, which is reportedly considering guidelines that would keep the company from working on autonomous weaponry, after thousands of employees signed a petition against the company's work on Project Maven and nearly a dozen reportedly quit in protest. 

Google didn't immediately reply to a request for comment.