Innovating Responsibly
Building technology to Protect Life
Innovating Responsibly
Building technology to Protect Life
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About this framework
Axon’s Responsible Innovation Framework is an integral part of our commitment to Protect Life. We believe that how we make our products matters just as much as what we make. Our values-based framework for product design and development guides how we approach hard questions about emerging technology and evaluate our products to be a Force for Good.
Designed with Diverse Stakeholders
The Responsible Innovation Framework is a collaborative effort designed by diverse stakeholders, including industry experts, academics, policymakers, public safety and community representatives. It aims to guide the development and deployment of technologies in a way that is ethical, inclusive, and sustainable. We also engage with our Ethics and Equity Advisory Council (EEAC), which routinely provides feedback throughout the product design process to help ensure that we are investing to build a safer future for all. By incorporating a wide range of perspectives, the framework ensures that innovation is aligned with societal values, addresses potential risks, and promotes positive impacts. It provides a set of principles and best practices for responsible decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and continuous assessment throughout the innovation lifecycle.
Less-lethal tools
We protect life. This is the driving force behind our product development process. Where the need for lethal weapons may unfortunately still exist, we always seek to introduce and maximize the availability and effectiveness of less lethal alternatives.
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Axon does not create intentionally lethal weapons. We aim to develop tools and features that can effectively de-escalate situations first, with the goal of reducing the need for use of force. Our solutions are designed to save lives, not take them.
Data collection is built into our devices to drive responsible use, create audit trails, and allow for public transparency. We also offer data-driven training and education to help improve human performance as it relates to our technology.
We place a strong emphasis on third-party collaboration, robust research and testing protocols, and continuous improvement to remain aligned with the highest ethical, safety, and scientific standards.
Cameras, sensors and software
Connected cameras and evidence software have revolutionized public safety, but legal and ethical rigor must remain paramount. We prioritize privacy, fairness, accountability, and transparency.
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Data and evidence collected by law enforcement through Axon devices is intended to help solve crimes, reduce threats, improve training, and promote transparency and accountability.
Our customers own and control all data collected by Axon devices. We protect their data by investing heavily in and remaining committed to world-class information security and privacy.
We further enable agencies to safeguard the privacy, human rights and dignity of individuals with tools such as access controls and redaction.
Real-time situational awareness
Enhancing public safety response and outcomes hinges on better information, a principle we prioritize while addressing public apprehensions regarding surveillance. Our commitment lies in striking a balance that ensures our solutions not only improve transparency but also uphold individual privacy and civil liberties.
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Axon’s real-time intelligence platform is intended to get help where it’s needed faster, improving outcomes and providing a more holistic public record of law enforcement interactions.
Our platform makes video information actionable, locating people in need of help and detecting dangerous activities to help mitigate them. All camera access on our platform is auditable and securely logged to maintain fair-use principles.
Our systems leverage automated, alert-based approaches to monitoring that are more efficient and less intrusive than a continuous surveillance model.
Artificial intelligence
We recognize the immense promise of ethical AI innovation. Our mission is to harness cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionize community safety, all the while prioritizing the rigorous mitigation of biases and other potential risks.
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By leveraging AI, Axon enhances and extends the capabilities of public safety professionals. We build tools that preserve the crucial role of human decision-making while significantly improving intervention efficiency and efficacy.
We build our AI-enabled technology with controls so that it never removes human decision-making in critical moments.
Axon rigorously tests our AI-enabled products to reduce inherent bias in the models before products are released. We are continually monitoring and improving any unforeseen instances of bias that may arise in the models and continue to seek external feedback from our EEAC and others when implementing AI.
Drones and robotics
With a mission to Protect Life, we fundamentally believe robotics represent a remarkable opportunity to transform public safety. It is our responsibility to explore opportunities for remotely operated aerial and ground devices to support first responders and de-escalation efforts, while always ensuring human control.
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Axon’s robotic innovations are intended to advance the safety and effectiveness of human intervention, not replace it. Robots allow for more time and distance, which allow for better decisions and less risk of split second irreversible decisions.
We believe that less-lethal tools integrated with remotely operated vehicles can help save lives; we also believe that robots should never make autonomous decisions regarding the use of force, and that only humans make such decisions, and take full moral and legal responsibility.
We relentlessly support the creation of agency policies that mandate rigorous oversight and transparency to ensure acceptable use.
Our innovation framework