This AI system can generate police reports from body cameras
Axon, a leading police contractor, and taser manufacturer in the US, has unveiled an innovative product named "Draft One." This artificial intelligence (AI) system is designed to generate police reports using audio from body cameras. The AI system leverages OpenAI's GPT-4 large language model, to significantly reduce the time officers spend on report writing.
Axon's CEO emphasizes potential benefits of 'Draft One'
Axon's CEO, Rick Smith, emphasized the potential benefits of "Draft One," stating that it could significantly increase police efficiency. He said, "If an officer spends half their day reporting, and we can cut that in half, we have an opportunity to potentially free up 25% of an officer's time to be back out policing." This AI system aims to reduce administrative tasks and increase officers' field presence.
Critics argue that AI could intensify racial bias in policing
Despite the potential benefits, the technology has sparked concerns due to the possibility of AI models "hallucinating" facts, and perpetuating existing racial biases in their training data. Dave Maass from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, expressed his worries about non-specialist police officers using these systems without fully understanding their limitations. Critics argue that this technology could lead to serious inaccuracies in official police records, and intensify racial bias in policing.
Axon has modified the AI model to prevent errors
In response to these concerns, Axon insists that it has modified the AI model, to prevent it from deviating from its intended function. Noah Spitzer-Williams, Principal AI Product Manager at Axon, explained that they have essentially "turned off the creativity," which significantly reduces errors and hallucinations. He also reassured that tests showed no "statistically significant differences across races."
Axon's reputation has come under scrutiny
Axon's reputation has come under scrutiny, due to the resignation of three-quarters of its international ethics board members in 2022, and allegations of pressuring employees into getting company tattoos. These issues, coupled with the public outcry against Draft One on social media platforms, have raised questions about the company's ethical practices.
Draft One has been trialed by law enforcement agencies
Axon's Draft One is yet to be widely adopted. However, the company asserts that trials with law enforcement bodies, have resulted in roughly an hour of work saved per day. A police sergeant from a Colorado law enforcement agency reported a significant "82% decrease in time spent writing reports" due to the software. This suggests that despite the controversy, some users are finding value in the AI-driven report generator.
