New York City will soon begin testing the use of artificial intelligence to help detect guns and other weapons at subway turnstiles. On Thursday, March 28, New York Mayor Eric Adams, D, announced that the city would be deploying the technology in a few months.
“This is a Sputnik moment, when President Kennedy said we were going to put a man on the moon and everyone responded,” Adams said. “Well, today we said we’re going to bring the technology that can identify guns and other dangerous weapons, and our private industry responded.”
However, with the new technology comes increased scrutiny of ethics and accuracy. Evolv, the company the city is partnering with, reportedly has issues with its detection systems, ranging from misidentifying umbrellas as weapons to failing to detect steel and aluminum tubes fashioned like gun barrels.
Evolv’s AI also missed knives in students’ pockets in some school districts and mistook backpacks and lunchboxes for bombs. With misidentification also comes risk, according to a legal expert who spoke with local New York City station Fox 5.
“We’re primarily concerned with false positives,” Jerome Greco, an attorney at the Legal Aid Society, said. “People being falsely identified as having a weapon, causing law enforcement to be afraid and possibly react in a way that could get themselves hurt and also the individual hurt.”
Meanwhile, a class action lawsuit filed by investors also claims that Evolv “misrepresented the efficacy of its products and deceived the general public, customers and investors.”
As Adams embraces AI, some say the mayor’s partnership with Evolv raises questions. Multiple of Adam’s top donors reportedly invested heavily in the company.
Despite the critics, Adams maintains the tech will be used within the law, balancing privacy and public safety.
The testing will begin in about three months. The 90-day waiting period is required as part of the POST Act, which requires the New York Police Department to disclose the use of surveillance technology and report on its impact and use before it is deployed.
Eventually, body scanners will be at subway stations, however, the exact number and locations have not been disclosed. The scanners use “advanced sensor technology and artificial intelligence to distinguish between weapons and everyday items,” according to Evolv’s website.
AI weapons detection is already used at popular New York City venues, including Citi Field, the Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Art Museum.
Adams’ announcement comes less than a week after a shooting in a subway car and multiple stabbings within the subway system.
On Monday, March 25, Adams announced plans to crack down on subway violence by sending at least 800 police officers to monitor turnstiles. Hours after the announcement, a man died after being shoved onto the subway tracks and struck by a train in East Harlem.
Despite notable incidents, crime is down in the New York City subway system for the month of March. Still, Adams contends that the use of AI is necessary to keep people safe.
“I say to those who are afraid of scanners and would rather not walk through it, I’d rather you be safe,” Adams said. “So, let’s bring on the scanners. We are taking a huge step towards public safety.”
Adams also said the city will hire more mental health clinicians to work with police to move people with mental illness out of the subway system and “into care.”
