(Photo: By Terabass - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)
A company specializing in AI gun detection, Evolv Technologies, made a notable reference to Disney in its pitch to the city of New York, particularly emphasizing the applicability of their scanners in various public spaces.
Convincing Mayor Adams
During Mayor Eric Adams's introduction of Evolv, a range of potential deployment sites for the scanners was presented, encompassing hospitals, schools, Times Square, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
However, Wired reported that Mayor Adams' interest was piqued when Evolv mentioned Disney as one of its major clients.
An email from Evolv's co-founder Anil Chitkara to Mayor Adams' office highlighted Disney's successful deployment of Evolv systems at its parks and Disney Springs in Florida, suggesting potential parallels in security approaches between the two entities.
Later that year, New York City conducted trials with Evolv's scanners, initially at a Bronx hospital and subsequently at the entrance to City Hall. Despite the underwhelming outcomes of both trials, Mayor Adams disclosed plans for further testing Evolv's gun detectors on the subway later in the year.
Comparing NYC Subway Stations, Disney Parks
Evolv's hospital performance may not reflect its accuracy in NYC subway stations, which could be even worse. During an investor call on March 15, 2024, Peter George, the CEO of Evolv, acknowledged that their technology was not well-suited for subway environments, citing concerns about interference with railway operations.
In 2022, Disney's flagship park, Magic Kindom, welcomed an average of over 46,000 visitors daily. Conversely, the New York City subway system boasted an average ridership exceeding 3.1 million passengers on a typical weekday in 2022.
This stark contrast suggests that perhaps the comparison between Disney and NYC subway stations isn't entirely analogous.
Mayor Adams decided to proceed with testing Evolv's gun-detection scanners in the city's train stations despite following a tragic incident in late March where a man was pushed onto the subway tracks and with the machines generating false positives over 85% of the time at the Bronx hospital.
The Laughing Place revealed that Disney had initiated testing the Evolv Express system at Disney Springs, an outdoor shopping complex near Orlando, Florida.
Subsequently, reports indicated that Evolv scanners were deployed at select entrances to Disney's Florida parks later that year, including Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom. Since then, Disney has continuously expanded its utilization of Evolv scanners.
Also read: NYC's AI Gun Detection System Faces Criticism Over Effectiveness, Accuracy
In 2022, Mayor Adams assigned the task of finding a gun-detection solution for New York to Philip Banks III, the city's deputy mayor. Before his role in the administration, Banks held the position of chief of department in the NYPD but resigned in 2014 amidst a federal investigation into bribery and corruption.
However, he was never formally charged in connection with the case. Although Adams claimed to have discovered Evolv online in May 2022, Ozerkis from Evolv stated that the NYPD had reached out to Evolv earlier to explore the possibility of utilizing their screening solution as part of the city's strategy to combat violent crime.
Related Article: New York City Initiates Trials of AI Gun Detection Systems in Subway Amid Controversy
