US regulator: FTC takes action against "AI weapon detection specialist" Evolv

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reached a settlement in a dispute with the company Evolv over its technology, which allegedly uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically detect weapons such as guns or knives in luggage. The security company is therefore no longer allowed to claim that its scanner is capable of recognizing weapons and distinguishing them from harmless personal items. It is also no longer allowed to advertise the fact that laptops and other devices no longer need to be removed from bags or suitcases. The company is also prohibited from making claims about the accuracy of weapon detection compared to the use of metal detectors.

Evolv has touted its AI-based baggage scanners as "no longer requiring a trained operator to detect potential threats". Most conventional X-ray machines require an operator to interpret an X-ray image, they say. The company's own technology, on the other hand, only signals with red or green whether a bag should be searched by a person. This maximizes the "throughput of scanned baggage" and minimizes the number of objects to be searched by hand. Evolv claims to have over 800 customers worldwide. These include stadiums, theme parks and museums as well as schools, hospitals, churches and city councils.

Civil rights activists: AI is an expensive supposed miracle cure

In its complaint, the FTC accused Evolv of knowingly, repeatedly and unlawfully making misleading claims about the technology. Ultimately, this –, like conventional scanners –, can only detect metal and trigger an alarm for corresponding objects. However, a typical contract for Evolv equipment costs tens of thousands of US dollars per year – five times the cost of conventional metal detectors. One district in Kentucky spent 17 million US dollars to equip its schools with the hardware and software. But the results are often sobering. From July to October, New York City, for example, carried out a test of Evolv technology in 20 subways and train stations. Of the 2749 scans carried out, 118 resulted in false alarms. Inspectors seized twelve knives, but no firearms.

The settlement with the FTC stipulates that the many schools that rely on Evolv scanners can terminate their contracts early. The company is also expressly prohibited from referring to key aspects of the devices such as performance, effectiveness, type or key features that are said to be superior to conventional detectors. This includes statements about the use of algorithms, AI and other automated systems and tools. The US civil rights organization Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) welcomes the agreement: There are good reasons why AI is so often referred to as hype or "snake oil". Time and time again, companies use public data to promote surveillance via AI. It is then left to the taxpayer to realize that none of this works. AI software for detecting and locating gunshots also rarely provides evidence of such crimes.

(nie)