Axon Pauses Taser Drone Project Intended to Address School Shootings
2022.06.06 19:32
Axon Pauses Taser Drone Project Intended to Address School Shootings
By Sam Boughedda
Axon Enterprise (NASDAQ:AXON), the Arizona-based company that develops technology and weapons products, announced Monday that it is pausing a project that would see drones equipped with stun guns to combat mass shootings.
Following the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, Axon announced it was working on a drone that could be operated by trained law enforcement officials to fire a taser.
However, the company said that “in light of feedback, we are pausing work on this project and refocusing to further engage with key constituencies to fully explore the best path forward.”
According to Reuters, citing a member of Axon’s AI ethics board, the prospect of the taser drone project was driving an exodus from the panel. The report said ethics board member Wael Abd-Almageed revealed he and eight colleagues were resigning from the panel.
“It is unfortunate that some members of Axon’s ethics advisory panel have chosen to withdraw from directly engaging on these issues before we heard or had a chance to address their technical questions,” Axon said in its press release.
“We respect their choice and will continue to seek diverse perspectives to challenge our thinking and help guide other technology options that we should be considering,” they added.
