Knightscope is worth a close study. If they were a consumer facing startup, PR blunders would have forced them to close years ago. Yes, one of their machines ran over a small child[1]. Yes, they had a disastrous “mini-ipo”[2]. Yes, they’re frequently a “look how dumb AI is” counter point to the Boston Dynamics machines[3].

But they’re not consumer facing. They found a market niche as a punching bag for municipal and local spaces (malls, libraries, subways) who treat the users of public space as hostile adversaries.

If dunking on Knightscope worked, they would have been done in already. If one is anti this kind of approach to civic management it’s important to name the community “leaders” advocating for them, the social economics that render $7/hour Knightscope rental more viable than more empathetic solutions, and the investors supporting these dark patterns.

[1] https://www.theverge.com/2016/7/13/12170640/mall-security-ro... [2] https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1600983/000114420417... [3] https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/17/20697540/boston-dynamics-...