美国国家公共电台 NPR Body Camera Maker Weighs Adding Facial Recognition Technology

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Axon, formerly¹ known as TASER International, makes tasers and body cameras for police departments. And in the near future, body cams may be equipped with facial recognition software. The company has created a new ethics² board to consider some of the implications of this software and the emerging use of artificial intelligence in local policing. Axon CEO Rick Smith joins us now from their offices in Scottsdale, Ariz. Thanks so much for being with us.

RICK SMITH: Thanks for having me on today.

SIMON: As I don't have to tell you, Mr. Smith, you announced your ethics board, and a group of more than 40 civil rights and tech groups wrote you a letter in which they said you should never develop real-time facial recognition through police body cameras because they say the risks of misidentification are too high. Innocent people could be pursued by the police - sometimes suffer fatal consequences. How do you respond to that?

SMITH: Well, we agree philosophically³ with the issues that were raised. But I think it's counterproductive to say that a technology is unethical and should never be developed. I think what we need to do is take a look at how this technology could evolve. What are the risks? But basically today, an individual officer might have to make life-or-death decisions based only on their own perceptions and prejudices. Do we think that computers getting information to those officers that could them make better decisions would move the world in the right direction? And I think the answer is unequivocally, yes, that could happen.

SIMON: As the technology stands now - as we've heard reported any number of times, the technology's especially faulty when it comes to seeing the differences in darker faces.

SMITH: I think that has to do with the types of training data sets that have been used historically. Certainly those are one of the issues that before we developed anything to be deployed⁴ in the field, we would take a very hard look at that.

SIMON: I gather Chinese police, for example, routinely use facial recognition technology. Some of them even have sunglasses that come equipped with cameras that can identify faces in real time. They say it's allowed them to arrest suspected criminals. And in, you know, China criminals can include people who just believe in free speech. Do you have reservations about using that technology here?

SMITH: Well, you know, for example, there are police forces around the world that use batons⁵ and guns in very abusive ways. And yet ultimately, we know that our police, in order to do their job, need to have those same types of tools. We understand that these technologies could be used in ways that we don't want to see happening in our society. However, I think it's too blunt an instrument to say that because there is a risk of misuse⁶, we should just write them off. I think we need to dig a layer deeper and understand what are the benefits and what are the risks.

SIMON: What are the benefits in your mind?

SMITH: Well, I mean, you could imagine many benefits. I think one example you can look at is DNA⁷ technology. You know, when DNA was first being introduced, there was much concern about false positives and false matches. And yet ultimately, I think DNA technology has done more than any other key technology in exonerating⁸ people that were wrongfully convicted. I think we'll see other biometrics, including facial recognition technology, that properly deployed with the right oversight⁹ over the coming decades could ultimately reduce prejudice in policing and help catch dangerous people that we all agree we don't want out in our communities and do it in a way that, at the same time, respects police transparency and rights of privacy of the average citizen.

SIMON: Maybe this is generational, but, Mr. Smith, how do you feel about the fact that we might soon have a technology that - well, when you leave the office today, it'll recognize you and know when you get into the elevator. It will recognize you when you're in the parking lot. It will recognize you when you stop at a stoplight on your way home and know where you are all the time.

SMITH: Well, it's certainly an interesting world that we're moving into where notions of privacy are changing pretty dramatically. And what's most interesting is I think people are actually opting¹⁰ into these systems. Knowingly and willingly, they're deploying¹¹ these types of technologies for the convenience that they offer to themselves. And then that opens questions of what does privacy mean in the world we live in today. And frankly¹², what's it going to mean in another 10 or 20 years?

SIMON: Rick Smith, CEO of Axon, formerly known as TASER International. Thanks so much for being with us, sir.

SMITH: Great. And thank you for the thoughtful questions.

1 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

2 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

3 philosophically   

adv.哲学上；富有哲理性地；贤明地；冷静地

参考例句：

• He added philosophically that one should adapt oneself to the changed conditions. 他富于哲理地补充说，一个人应该适应变化了的情况。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Harry took his rejection philosophically. 哈里达观地看待自己被拒的事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 batons   

n.（警察武器）警棍( baton的名词复数 )；（乐队指挥用的）指挥棒；接力棒

参考例句：

• There were many riot policemen with batons. 有许多带警棍的防暴警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chinese police fight? Number one is a person with batons to fight! 满街飘的中国国旗，是一个老华侨在事发时那出来分给大家的，很感动，真的，从来一向多一事不如少一事的中国人今天团结到一起站出来反抗。 来自互联网

6 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

7 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

8 exonerating   

v.使免罪，免除( exonerate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

9 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

10 opting   

v.选择，挑选( opt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• What courses are most students opting for? 多数学生选什么课程？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Wells doesn't rule out opting out and then re-signing with Houston. 威尔斯没有排除跳出合同再与火箭重签的可能。 来自互联网

11 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

12 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。