@alex is quoted raising key points. There's zero transparency about how the system is evaluated and it's pretty predictable what harms are going to happen --- and to whom.

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And can you spot the GLARING omission in this evaluation plan? (Answer in next post, for those who aren't sure.)

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Absolutely key point of evaluation: How many times does the system send the cops in to a situation where no violence was occurring, but all primed to think that there is?

This is maybe most urgent right now for Philly, but we've all got work to do making sure our electeds aren't setting up this nonsense in our own towns.

@emilymbender so while the concerns raised by Alex are absolutely valid, so are the concerns of people facing gun violence in their communities.

I'm not sure I've seen anything described in the system that isn't any different from a zealous camera-watching security guard. They often don't get bias correcting training. What is the AI equivalent of a job interview, a background check, and a 6-month new employee evaluation period? It's at least potentially possible to audit outcomes of the AI equivalent of an anti-bias training, whereas doing that for a human training is often more challenging.

Should there be an audit? Yes, thank you for calling for it. Perhaps ZeroEyes would be willing to hire or allow DAIR to do one. Perhaps SEPTA would do it.

Keeping humans in the loop and at least as skeptical of the tech as they would be of an unknown person making the same claim seems vital. Perhaps SEPTA would do let DAIR give a quick training to those people.

How can we advance the AI ethics along with the exigencies of living amongst rampant gun violence. Giving critiques, even valid ones, of the efforts to address problems without simultaneously offering viable paths to do better is problematic in it's own ways.

Also, the movie project mentioned in the article looks amazing.

@DenialShown Yes, the concerns of people living through a gun violence epidemic are valid and extremely important. But I don't believe that this proposal (scaled, automated surveillance) is coming from those people. It's coming from others who want to make a buck by selling AI Snake Oil.

And yes it is worse that people watching CCTV: scale for one thing, automation bias for another.

@DenialShown Yes, we have an obligation as citizens to engage with our elected leaders and to bring our expertise to this.

I *don't* think that the approach described is a "cautious approach to testing". It's a live beta of a system that will impact life & death decisions....

@DenialShown No, the folks at DAIR get to decide what their work is. @alex has done her duty in talking to the press. I'm working to raise awareness by posting on social media, hoping to get word to folks in Philly.

You don't get to assign tasks to DAIR. DAIR isn't responsible for chasing down every last one of these in the world.