The Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement agreement with a company that supplies Columbus City Schools and other local school districts with artificial intelligence-powered weapon detection devices to determine whether its products support the claims marketing.
The FTC announced Nov. 26 that it had reached a settlement agreement with Massachusetts-based Evolv Technology over allegations that the company made false statements about the extent to which its AI-powered security screening system could detect weapons and ignore harmless personal objects, including at school. settings, according to a press release.
Evolv’s scanners failed to detect weapons in schools, while flagging innocuous personal items like laptops, binders and water bottles, the FTC claimed.
For example, Evolv’s Express scanners reportedly failed to detect a large knife someone brought to a school in October 2022 and used to stab a student, according to the FTC. Following the incident, school officials increased the system’s sensitivity settings, resulting in a 50 percent false alarm rate.
Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest school district, has more than $3 million contract with the companyand Evolv’s systems are also used at Lower.com Stadium, where the Columbus Crew plays, Columbus Zoo and AquariumGroveport Madison Schools and other central Ohio school districts.
Under the proposed settlement, Evolv would be prohibited from making unsubstantiated claims about its products’ ability to detect weapons using AI. Certain primary and secondary school customers who signed contracts between April 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023 should also be given the opportunity to cancel.
Columbus City Schools signed its deal with the company in 2023, The Dispatch previously reported. The district could not immediately be reached for comment on whether it would use that option.
According to the FTC, Evolv misleadingly advertised that its scanner systems would detect all weapons and misleadingly claimed that artificial intelligence “makes its detection systems more accurate, more efficient, and more cost-effective than traditional metal detectors.” “.
Samuel Levine, director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement that companies can expect action from the FTC if they make misleading statements. According to the FTC, the company has contracts with thousands of customers, including 800 with school districts across 40 states.
“The FTC has made clear that claims about technology – including artificial intelligence – must be substantiated, and this is especially important when those claims concern the safety of children,” Levine said.
The proposed settlement also prohibits the company from making misleading claims about products, including their ability to detect weapons, their accuracy and speed.
In a statementEvolv Technology’s interim president, Mike Ellenbogen, said the company “worked collaboratively with the FTC to resolve this issue” and is “pleased that the FTC has not called into question the fundamental effectiveness of our technology”. He said the FTC’s investigation focused on past marketing language and not whether the system could “add value” to a security system.
“Our top priority is the safety of the people and communities we serve,” Ellenbogen said.