New York City has beta-tested an artificial intelligence (AI) gun and knife detection system in its subway system for the past month. The test results are now in. Either every New Yorker is obeying the ban on firearms on public transportation, or the system does not work.
During the trial month of the system being used in the city, only 12 knives were detected, and no firearms were found in the subways, leading many to wonder if the system worked at all. Every knife the system detected was opened carried. No concealed weapons of any kind were found during the pilot program. New York City itself called the pilot program an objective failure. It will not continue the pilot program.
The AI system known as Evolv alerted police to the presence of 118 guns, but after investigating, law enforcement determined that all the alerts were false positives. Of the 12 knives that were found, all were legally carried. The system did not catch a single person breaking the law, which led many privacy advocates to worry about the efficacy of using the system.
One group that has been critical of the system’s use in the New York subway system is the Legal Aid Society. They believed using the technology would lead to more unnecessary stop-and-frisk situations. The Legal Aid Society also called the city to the carpet for hiding the abject failure of the technology.
The system had known flaws when it was put into place. For example, the system would sometimes mix up iPads for firearms. The AI mistakenly thought the iPad was a cylinder of a revolver. Other mundane items would also give false positives. It is unclear why iPads are confused as cylinders of revolvers since they do not even remotely resemble each other.
“Given this failed pilot, all the other overwhelming evidence against using Evolv’s weapons detectors, and the surrounding controversies, including lawsuits and various investigations, we hope that this ill-conceived, fraught, and unwanted idea is finally shelved for good,” the group said in a statement.
The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) also threatened to sue New York City over the use of the technology. They claimed that the machines violated the Fourth Amendment rights of subway riders. The NYCLU also pointed to the many false positives that lead to unnecessary searches in facilities where the systems are in use, such as hospitals.
The Evolv system has been used in several hospitals since 2022. It has been the source of controversy because almost all detections have been false positives, and no illegal guns have ever been detected in the past three years of use. Hospitals spend millions on the system with a track record of failure while medical costs keep skyrocketing. Many believe that the company doesn’t have a working product.
The news for Evolv would get even worse as the company disclosed last Friday that some of its employees “engaged in misconduct” surrounding business deals. These alleged improprieties have led to the company being investigated by several federal and local agencies.
These agencies are alleging the company artificially increased its revenue by $4 million and $6 million in the past two years. The company is publicly traded and admitted to the overstatement of profits. Stock prices fell drastically by 40% after the company’s public statement. The Security Exchange Commission (SEC) is looking into the company for its misstatements of profits to determine if it was intentional.
“The company will provide an update as soon as it can,” said the spokeswoman for Evolv, Alexandra Ozerkis. “In the meantime, we remain focused on serving our customers and committed to our mission of making people and places safe. The fundamentals of our business remain strong.”
The Department of Investigation for New York City, an internal watchdog, is probing Mayor Eric Adams’s administration over the contract with Evolv. They believe backroom dealings were happening between the mayor’s office and the technology firm. They claim that the mayor’s office did not properly vet the technology before entering the pilot program. The investigation is ongoing.
Evlov’s Board of Directors has now taken the extraordinary step of firing the company’s CEO, Peter George, to try to calm the waters. Evlov co-founder Michael Ellenbogen will step into the role as interim CEO until a replacement can be found. Mr. Ellenbogen had served as the company’s chief innovation officer. He will receive a raise of $25,000 a month for his new responsibilities.
Evlov is a company in trouble with a product that has given questionable results. Only time will tell if the company survives or goes down in flames.
About John Crump
Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
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