Axon Expands AI and Policing Technology Ethics Board with New Members; Implements Bias Awareness Training

Axon , a global leader in connected public safety technologies, today announced the appointment of Mecole Jordan, executive director of United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations, Christy Lopez, distinguished visitor from practice at Georgetown University Law Center, and Kathleen O'Toole, former Seattle police chief and Boston police commissioner, to Axon's AI and Policing Technology Ethics Board. Axon also announced that it will host implicit bias awareness training for developers on Axon's AI Research team on May 8 in Seattle.

The Board meets twice annually to discuss the ethical implications of AI-powered technologies being developed by Axon. In the first meetings in 2018, the Board recommended that developers of AI technology at Axon undergo similar bias awareness training that police departments across the country are undertaking. In response to this recommendation, Axon has scheduled the full-day “Fair & Impartial Policing: A Science-Based Perspective” training session. This training has been presented to major city police agencies, including the Los Angeles, Miami-Dade, Boston, Albuquerque, and Seattle police departments.

“It is great to see that Axon is committed to developing AI technology with attention to human biases,” says Dr. Lorie Fridell, former director of research at the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and national expert on biased policing. “This is the first time we've worked with a technology company for internal bias training. With the implementation of its ethics advisory board, and now the anti-bias training, Axon is truly taking a leadership role when it comes to responsibly developing this technology.”

Follow Axon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/axon_US or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Axon.ProtectLife/