Taser Maker Halts Drone Project; Most of Its Ethics Panel Resigns

Author: Jeffrey Dastin, Paresh Dave

Publisher: Reuters

Publication Year: 2022

Summary: The following article discusses how the chairman and 9 other members of the 12 person artificial intelligence (AI) ethics board for the company Axon (the original developer of the taser) have resigned after the company announced a project to develop drones equipped with stun guns, that would be able to quickly incapacitate a shooter in the event of, for example, a school shooting. This announcement was made in spite of the committee advising against such a device being created, citing concerns that it “could exacerbate racial injustice, undermine privacy through surveillance, and become more lethal if other weapons were added.” Following the resignations, Axon announced that it was reversing its decision and would halt the project.