Stun gun developer Axon said this week it is working on building drones equipped with these electric stun weapons that could fly into schools and “help prevent the next Uvalde, Sandy Hook or Columbine.” However, the company’s technology advisers were quick to dismiss the idea as a dangerous fantasy. The company, which is publicly traded and sells stun guns and body cameras for police, last year pitched the idea of a new type of police drone to its artificial intelligence ethics board, a highly regarded think tank on technology, public safety and privacy. Some expressed reservations about the use of drones in overly-policed communities of color, but they weren’t expecting Axon’s announcement Thursday that it wanted to send those stun-gun-equipped drones into classrooms to prevent killings and to immobilize a shooter. In an interview with The Associated Press, Axon founder and CEO Rick Smith said he felt compelled to go public with the idea after the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, saying he was “catastrophically disappointed.” ” for the response of the police who did not move for more than an hour to kill the suspect. But on Friday he stressed that no product had been commercialized and that any possible launch would come later. The idea, in his opinion, needed to be shared now because of the public discussion about effective ways for police to safely deal with bullies and how schools can increase security. “This is an idea that needs to get into the public consciousness while our minds are open to it, and I felt that if I waited another six months, the world would change and people would forget about this pain and we would see a change in feelings around the world. where people would focus much more on what could go wrong, rather than the pain of this problem that we have to solve,” he said. The company’s share price soared on the news, but the announcement angered members of the ethics board, some of whom are likely to resign in protest. “This particular idea is crazy,” said Barry Friedman, a New York University law professor who sits on Axon AI’s Ethics Board. “Drones cannot go through closed doors. The physical properties of the universe are still valid. So unless you have a drone in every classroom in America, which sounds crazy, the idea is not going to work.” Friedman declared that it was a “dangerous and fanciful idea” that went far beyond the proposal for a police drone equipped with stun guns that board members — some of them current or former law enforcement officials — had been debating in recent months. last months. “We begged the company not to do it,” Friedman said of the company’s announcement. “It was unnecessary and shameful.” “The company takes our advice sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t,” Friedman said. “The important thing is that this happens after a debate and thoughtful joint work. In this case, that has been thrown overboard.” For his part, Smith said the company is still in the early stages of product development and that he will continue to consult with the ethics committee, as well as public safety officials, community leaders and school authorities. He acknowledged that the company could later determine that the idea is not viable and abandon it. Connect with the ! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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