# Startup Dimensional pays people to walk robot dogs to train AI agents

> Original title: Very good boys? The dark, dystopian rise of robot dogs | Arwa Mahwadi

- Source: The Guardian · AI
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:00:09.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/tmgsit5iqs43nviuf8owdnjjq
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/04/robot-dogs-ice-dimensional-warhound

## Summary

Dimensional, a San Francisco startup, pays people $20 an hour to walk four-legged robot dogs, according to the New York Times, to collect training data for operating systems that let machines act more independently with AI agents. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement planned to spend up to $2m on robot dogs made by Boston Dynamics, per an earlier report. The column also describes Warhound, a startup launched last month to create genetically modified dogs with cybernetic augments for battlefield use.