Independent council will advise Axon on issues relating to
the ethical and equitable development and deployment of new
technologies
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 1,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Axon (Nasdaq: AXON), the
global leader in connected public safety technologies, today
announced the formation of its Ethics & Equity Advisory Council
(EEAC).
This newly formed, independent advisory council is critically
important as Axon seeks to ensure that ethics and equity are at the
forefront of our services and product development. The council will
be spearheaded by Regina Holloway,
Axon's VP of Community Impact and Relations.
"Since our inception, we've been committed to the responsible
development of new technology with both law enforcement and
communities across the country," says Rick
Smith, Axon CEO and Founder. "We are committed to leading
the way through an ethical design framework for all of our
products. To do this, we must consistently seek feedback from
diverse populations on our product design. The EEAC will be a
valuable thought leader and partner to us, helping us to weave
community voices, ethics and equity into everything we do. They
will advise us on a host of internal and external issues through a
racial equity and ethics lens, centering the needs and perspectives
of communities in the creation of future products."
The EEAC will combine Axon's AI Ethics Board, (established in
2018) and its Community Advisory Coalition (established in 2021) to
create one independent council to advise Axon on issues relating to
the ethical and equitable development and deployment of new
products and services, including the development of AI
technologies.
With the establishment of the EEAC, Axon is reaffirming its
commitment to listening to diverse communities, particularly those
most directly affected by policing technology. The company is also
acknowledging the importance of creating proximity between Axon's
leadership and product teams and representatives from marginalized
communities. The EEAC will work closely with Axon product teams,
including with Axon's Chief Product Officer and EVP of Software,
Jeff Kunins, who serves as Ethics
and Equity Champion. In this role, Kunins will ensure that ethics
and equity principles are embedded in the product development
cycle. Additionally, A.J. Angus, Axon Sr. Product Manager of
Justice R&D, will serve as Ethics and Equity product liaison.
Angus will facilitate the partnership between Axon's product teams
and the EEAC to ensure the principles of Axon's equity framework,
along with insight from the EEAC, inform responsible product
development.
"Axon has always embraced a bold vision for the future of public
safety, and we also recognize that communities are the ultimate
end-users of the technologies we develop," says Regina Holloway, Axon's VP of Community Impact
and Relations. "I look forward to working with this group of
community leaders and academics with lived experience who will help
us develop fresh ideas to impart the principles of justice and
equity into the product development cycle. We are committed to
establishing a community voice within our technology and using
outreach to educate communities on our products."
Current EEAC members include:
- Dr. Desmond Patton, PhD,
MSW, Brian and Randi Schwartz University Professor and the
thirty-first Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor. Dr.
Patton has joint appointments in the School of Social Policy &
Practice and the Annenberg School for
Communication along with a secondary appointment in the department
of psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Patton is a
leading pioneer in the field of making AI empathetic, culturally
sensitive and less biased.
- Bertha Purnell,
Founder of Mothers OnA Mission28, Chapter Coordinator
for Crime Survivors for Safety & Justice, and retired
nurse. Purnell became a community advocate against
violence after her youngest son was killed by gun
violence.
- Dr. Wilneida Negrón, PhD,
MPA, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Political Science at
John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Dr. Negrón has been working on the frontlines
of the AI ethics field for the past 10 years and has co-led
early pioneering work on algorithmic fairness and AI's role in
shaping civic discourse. She serves on the Global Future Council on
Artificial Intelligence for Humanity at the World Economic
Forum.
- Devon Simmons,
Co-founder of the Paralegal Pathways Initiative at Columbia Law
School, Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity, Salzburg Global
fellow, Soros Justice Fellow, David Rockefeller Fund
Fellow. Simmons aims to amplify the talents of formerly
incarcerated people by providing skills-based legal training, while
simultaneously educating future legal practitioners. He is a
Criminal Justice Expert, having experienced the prison system
first-hand.
- Dr. Tonya
Strozier, PhD, Founding President of
Tucson Alliance of Black School Educators, and elementary School
Principal. Dr. Strozier is an education consultant and
school principal and dedicated to driving improvements in
underserved schools.
- Michelle Vilchez,
CEO of Innovate Public Schools, past Executive Director of the
Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, California State Assembly
2016 Woman of the Year. Vilchez is a Latina
born into an immigrant family and her work focuses on
facilitating communication between diverse communities in order to
solve complex issues like community policing and the far-reaching
effects of the pandemic.
- Dr. Broderick
Turner, PhD, Assistant Professor of
Marketing at the Pamplin College of Business at
Virginia Tech, founder of The
Technology, Race, and Prejudice Lab. Dr. Turner focuses on video
surveillance technology and the impacts on people's
judgments.
- Jeff Taylor, prison
reform lobbyist. Taylor writes legislation around drug treatment,
homelessness, and prison reform, drawing from his personal
experience with addiction, homelessness, and
incarceration.
- Rev. Kelvin Sauls,
born and raised in Johannesburg, South
Africa, a faith-rooted community organizer in the Pan
African Methodist traditions, Senior Fellow with the Atlantic
Institute with a focus on trans-national racial equity
and the Co-Founder of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration
(BAJI). Rev. Sauls is the former Director
for Interfaith Partnerships with Community Health Councils and the
former Senior Pastor of Holman United Methodist in
Los Angeles.
- Louis Frye,
Co-founder of Movement Thru Hoops, Wealth Relationship Strategist
for PNC Bank. Frye focuses on mentorship
in underserved communities, having experienced poverty
in the New York City Housing Projects.
- Giles Herdale, Former co-chair of the UK
Independent Digital Ethics Panel for Policing, Associate Fellow at
the Royal United Services Institute, former Program Director for
Digital Intelligence and Investigation at the National Police
Chiefs' Council. Herdale focuses on ensuring UK police
forces factor ethics into digital policing programs from the
outset.
The council will formally meet once a month to discuss the
ethical and equitable implications and development of technologies
and services being developed by Axon and publish an annual report.
Axon will maintain a community perspective on the EEAC while
bringing in outside law enforcement perspectives to weigh in on
certain issues and products.
"By assembling this advisory council of AI ethics experts,
community leaders and advocates Axon is demonstrating their
commitment to addressing race in technology and working to embody
the principles of justice and equity in their product development
cycle - from ideation to implementation," says Dr. Desmond Patton, EEAC facilitator. "I am excited
to be a part of this council as it is a step in the right direction
to continue to strengthen relationships between public safety and
our communities."
For more information about Axon's Ethics & Equity Advisory
Council, please visit axon.com/eeac or email impact@axon.com.
About Axon
Axon is a network of devices, apps and people that helps public
safety personnel become smarter and safer. With a mission of
protecting life, our technologies give customers the confidence,
focus and time they need to keep their communities safe. Our
products impact every aspect of a public safety officer's
day-to-day experience with the goal of helping everyone get home
safe.
We work hard for those who put themselves in harm's way for all
of us. To date, more than 270,000 lives and countless dollars have
been saved with the Axon Network of devices, apps and people. Learn
more at www.axon.com or by calling (800) 978-2737. Axon is a
global company with headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz. and global software
engineering hub in Seattle, Wash.,
as well as additional offices in Australia, Canada, Finland, Vietnam, the UK and the Netherlands.
Non-Axon trademarks are the intellectual property of their
respective owners. Axon, Axon Network, Protect Life and the Delta
Logo are trademarks of Axon Enterprise, Inc., some of which are
registered in the US and other countries. For more information,
visit www.axon.com/legal. All rights reserved.
Follow Axon here:
- Axon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/axon_us
- Axon on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Axon.ProtectLife/
Note to Investors
Please visit http://investor.axon.com,
https://www.axon.com/press, www.twitter.com/axon_us and
https://www.facebook.com/Axon.ProtectLife/ where Axon discloses
information about the company, its financial information and its
business.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Corinne Clark
Public Relations Manager
Press@Axon.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/axons-new-ethics-and-equity-advisory-council-to-deliver-input-from-community-voices-on-the-development-of-public-safety-technologies-301616148.html
SOURCE Axon