Banjo criticised for misleading Utah about AI capabilities

US high-tech surveillance startup Banjo was found to have grossly exaggerated its AI capabilities, prompting controversy and the suspension of its contract with the Utah state government. Banjo had touted its Live Time software platform as able to provide critical information and investigative direction, constantly gather and process massive amounts of data from sources including traffic cameras and police body cameras, get first responders to incidents faster, and help solve crimes by saving police hours of detective work. However, a Utah state audit revealed that Banjo's Live Time platform was only using a small number of data inputs, mostly from Utah governmental sources and that its system "does not use techniques that meet the industry definition of artificial intelligence". Banjo had signed a contract with Utah authorities worth a potential USD 21 million over five years; however the contract was suspended, with the audit arguing that the Attorney General's Office should have verified Banjo's claims before issuing it. The fracas highlighted the need for meaningful transparency about AI product capabilities, and the System 🤖 Banjo Live Time Operator: Developer: Banjo Country: USA Sector: Govt - police Purpose: Strengthen law enforcement Technology: Object recognition; Speech recognition; NLP/text analysis; Vehicle detection Issue: Accuracy/re liability; Robustness Investigations, assessments, audits 👁️ Office of the State Auditor. Limited Review of Banjo (pdf)

Date it happened

2021-03-01

Organisation involved

State of Utah

Product, system or model

Live Time

This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.