AI-Assisted Flock Camera Campaign Raises Grassroots Concerns

Summary

A nonprofit called Neighbors for Strong Communities partnered with Flock on a campaign supporting the company’s license-plate cameras in Knox County, Tennessee. Ashley Smith said the group offered to help draft an email to officials with AI, but only after she indicated support for the cameras; the draft did not disclose its AI use or the nonprofit’s connection. The group’s outreach also involved texts that appeared local and a questionnaire used in some cases to generate personalized messages. The nonprofit was incorporated in Washington, D.C., and its directors included political consultants; at least two also helped found Influent, a company that uses AI to generate messages to elected officials. The article says it is unknown whether Influent had a business relationship with Flock. Former commissioners described receiving similar-sounding pro-camera emails, while residents raised privacy concerns about the surveillance network. The nonprofit later acknowledged using technology to help residents write messages and said people approved the drafts, but it did not explain how it handled opposition or disclose its funding sources. Critics called the campaign astroturfing. Knox County commissioners voted to cancel the Flock contract.