Sen. Hawley asks surveillance tech CEOs to testify before Senate subcommittee

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Josh Hawley (R‑Mo.) announced on Friday that he has invited the chief executives of several leading AI‑driven surveillance firms to appear before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism next week. The hearing, scheduled for the coming week, will focus on the deployment of facial‑recognition and other artificial‑intelligence technologies in public‑safety cameras, a topic that has drawn increasing scrutiny from lawmakers concerned about privacy and civil‑rights implications.

The roster of invited witnesses includes the CEOs of Flock Safety, Axon, Motorola Solutions and Verkada, companies that manufacture and market AI‑powered video‑surveillance systems to law‑enforcement agencies nationwide. As chair of the subcommittee, Hawley said the testimony will help legislators assess the safety, effectiveness and regulatory needs of these technologies as they become more prevalent in policing and counterterrorism operations. The hearing is expected to inform potential legislative actions aimed at balancing public‑security benefits with protections for individual privacy.