Latest news with #Hecht
Time Magazine
31-07-2025
- Time Magazine
Police and Courts Are Turning to AI. Is the System Ready for It?
Can AI be used to make the criminal justice system more fair and efficient, or will it only reinforce harmful biases? Experts say that it has so far been deployed in worrying ways—but that there is potential for positive impact. Today, AI tech has reached nearly every aspect of the criminal justice system. It is being used in facial recognition systems to identify suspects; in 'predictive policing' strategies to formulate patrol routes; in courtrooms to assist with case management; and by public defenders to cull through evidence. But while advocates point to an increase in efficiency and fairness, critics raise serious questions around privacy and accountability. Last month, the Council on Criminal Justice launched a nonpartisan task force on AI, to study how AI could be used in the criminal justice system safely and ethically. The group's work will be supported by researchers at RAND, and they will eventually take their findings and make recommendations to policymakers and law enforcement. 'There's no question that AI can yield unjust results,' says Nathan Hecht, the task force's chair and a former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice. 'This task force wants to bring together tech people, criminal justice people, community people, experts in various different areas, and really sit down to see how we can use it to make the system better and not cause the harm that it's capable of.' Risks of AI in law enforcement Many courts and police departments are already using AI, Hecht says. 'It's very piecemeal: Curious people going, 'Oh, wow, there's this AI out here, we could use it over in the criminal court.' But because there are few standards for how to deploy AI, civil rights watchdogs have grown concerned that law enforcement agencies are using it in dangerous ways. Thousands of agencies have come to rely upon facial recognition technology sold by companies like Clearview, which hosts a database of billions of images scraped off the internet. In many databases, Black people are overrepresented, in part because they live in communities that are overpoliced. AI technology is also worse at discerning differences in Black people's faces, which can lead to higher misidentification rates. Last year, the Innocence Project, a legal nonprofit, found that there have been at least seven wrongful arrests from facial recognition technology, six of which involved wrongfully accused Black people. Walter Katz, the organization's director of policy, says that police sometimes make arrests solely based on AI's facial recognition findings as opposed to having the AI serve as a starting point for a larger investigation. 'There's an over-reliance on AI outputs,' he says. Katz says that when he went to a policing conference last fall, 'it was AI everywhere.' Vendors were aggressively hawking technology tools that claimed to solve real problems in police departments. 'But in making that pitch, there was little attention to any tradeoffs or risks,' he says. For instance, critics worry that many of these AI tools will increase surveillance of public spaces, including the monitoring of peaceful protesters—or that so-called 'predictive policing' will intensify law enforcement's crackdowns on over-policed areas. Where AI could help However, Katz concedes that AI does have a place in the criminal justice system. 'It'll be very hard to wish AI away—and there are places where AI can be helpful,' he says. For that reason, he joined the Council on Criminal Justice's AI task force. 'First and foremost is getting our arms wrapped around how fast the adoption is. And if everyone comes from the understanding that having no policy whatsoever is probably the wrong place to be, then we build from there.' Hecht, the task force's chair, sees several areas where AI could be helpful in the courtroom, for example, including improving the intake process for arrested people, or helping identify who qualifies for diversion programs, which allow offenders to avoid convictions. He also hopes the task force will provide recommendations on what types of AI usage explicitly should not be approved in criminal justice, and steps to preserve the public's privacy. 'We want to try to gather the expertise necessary to reassure the users of the product and the public that this is going to make your experience with the criminal justice system better—and after that, it's going to leave you alone,' he says. Meanwhile, plenty of other independent efforts are trying to use AI to improve the justice processes. One startup, JusticeText, hopes to use AI to narrow the gap between resources of prosecutors and public defenders, the latter of whom are typically severely understaffed and underresourced. JusticeText built a tool for public defenders that sorts through hours of 911 calls, police body camera footage, and recorded interrogations, in order to analyze it and determine if, for example, police have made inconsistent statements or asked leading questions. 'We really wanted to see what it looks like to be a public defender-first, and try to level that playing field that technology has in many ways exacerbated in past years,' says founder and CEO Devshi Mehrotra. JusticeText is working with around 75 public defender agencies around the country. Recidiviz, a criminal justice reform nonprofit, has also been testing several ways of integrating AI into their workflows, including giving parole officers AI-generated summaries of clients. 'You might have 80 pages of case notes going back seven years on this person that you're not going to read if you have a caseload of 150 people, and you have to see each one of them every month,' says Andrew Warren, Recidiviz's co-founder. 'AI could give very succinct highlights of what this person has already achieved and what they could use support on.' The challenge for policymakers and the Council on Criminal Justice's task force, then, is to determine how to develop standards and oversight mechanisms so that the good from AI's efficiency gains outweigh its ability to amplify existing biases. Hecht, at the task force, also hopes to protect from a future in which a black box AI makes life-changing decisions on its own. 'Should we ensure our traditional ideas of human justice are protected? Of course. Should we make sure that able judges and handlers of the criminal justice system are totally in control? Of course,' he says. 'But saying we're going to keep AI out of the justice system is hopeless. Law firms are using it. The civil justice system is using it. It's here to stay.'
Time Magazine
30-07-2025
- Time Magazine
Police and Courts Are Turning to AI. Is the System Ready?
Can AI be used to make the criminal justice system more fair and efficient, or will it only reinforce harmful biases? Experts say that it has so far been deployed in worrying ways—but that there is potential for positive impact. Today, AI tech has reached nearly every aspect of the criminal justice system. It is being used in facial recognition systems to identify suspects; in 'predictive policing' strategies to formulate patrol routes; in courtrooms to assist with case management; and by public defenders to cull through evidence. But while advocates point to an increase in efficiency and fairness, critics raise serious questions around privacy and accountability. Last month, the Council on Criminal Justice launched a nonpartisan task force on AI, to study how AI could be used in the criminal justice system safely and ethically. The group's work will be supported by researchers at RAND, and they will eventually take their findings and make recommendations to policymakers and law enforcement. 'There's no question that AI can yield unjust results,' says Nathan Hecht, the task force's chair and a former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice. 'This task force wants to bring together tech people, criminal justice people, community people, experts in various different areas, and really sit down to see how we can use it to make the system better and not cause the harm that it's capable of.' Risks of AI in law enforcement Many courts and police departments are already using AI, Hecht says. 'It's very piecemeal: Curious people going, 'Oh, wow, there's this AI out here, we could use it over in the criminal court.' But because there are few standards for how to deploy AI, civil rights watchdogs have grown concerned that law enforcement agencies are using it in dangerous ways. Thousands of agencies have come to rely upon facial recognition technology sold by companies like Clearview, which hosts a database of billions of images scraped off the internet. In many databases, Black people are overrepresented, in part because they live in communities that are overpoliced. AI technology is also worse at discerning differences in Black people's faces, which can lead to higher misidentification rates. Last year, the Innocence Project, a legal nonprofit, found that there have been at least seven wrongful arrests from facial recognition technology, six of which involved wrongfully accused Black people. Walter Katz, the organization's director of policy, says that police sometimes make arrests solely based on AI's facial recognition findings as opposed to having the AI serve as a starting point for a larger investigation. 'There's an over-reliance on AI outputs,' he says. Katz says that when he went to a policing conference last fall, 'it was AI everywhere.' Vendors were aggressively hawking technology tools that claimed to solve real problems in police departments. 'But in making that pitch, there was little attention to any tradeoffs or risks,' he says. For instance, critics worry that many of these AI tools will increase surveillance of public spaces, including the monitoring of peaceful protesters—or that so-called 'predictive policing' will intensify law enforcement's crackdowns on over-policed areas. Where AI could help However, Katz concedes that AI does have a place in the criminal justice system. 'It'll be very hard to wish AI away—and there are places where AI can be helpful,' he says. For that reason, he joined the Council on Criminal Justice's AI task force. 'First and foremost is getting our arms wrapped around how fast the adoption is. And if everyone comes from the understanding that having no policy whatsoever is probably the wrong place to be, then we build from there.' Hecht, the task force's chair, sees several areas where AI could be helpful in the courtroom, for example, including improving the intake process for arrested people, or helping identify who qualifies for diversion programs, which allow offenders to avoid convictions. He also hopes the task force will provide recommendations on what types of AI usage explicitly should not be approved in criminal justice, and steps to preserve the public's privacy. 'We want to try to gather the expertise necessary to reassure the users of the product and the public that this is going to make your experience with the criminal justice system better—and after that, it's going to leave you alone,' he says. Meanwhile, plenty of other independent efforts are trying to use AI to improve the justice processes. One startup, JusticeText, hopes to use AI to narrow the gap between resources of prosecutors and public defenders, the latter of whom are typically severely understaffed and underresourced. JusticeText built a tool for public defenders that sorts through hours of 911 calls, police body camera footage, and recorded interrogations, in order to analyze it and determine if, for example, police have made inconsistent statements or asked leading questions. 'We really wanted to see what it looks like to be a public defender-first, and try to level that playing field that technology has in many ways exacerbated in past years,' says founder and CEO Devshi Mehrotra. JusticeText is working with around 75 public defender agencies around the country. Recidiviz, a criminal justice reform nonprofit, has also been testing several ways of integrating AI into their workflows, including giving parole officers AI-generated summaries of clients. 'You might have 80 pages of case notes going back seven years on this person that you're not going to read if you have a caseload of 150 people, and you have to see each one of them every month,' says Andrew Warren, Recidiviz's co-founder. 'AI could give very succinct highlights of what this person has already achieved and what they could use support on.' The challenge for policymakers and the Council on Criminal Justice's task force, then, is to determine how to develop standards and oversight mechanisms so that the good from AI's efficiency gains outweigh its ability to amplify existing biases. Hecht, at the task force, also hopes to protect from a future in which a black box AI makes life-changing decisions on its own. 'Should we ensure our traditional ideas of human justice are protected? Of course. Should we make sure that able judges and handlers of the criminal justice system are totally in control? Of course,' he says. 'But saying we're going to keep AI out of the justice system is hopeless. Law firms are using it. The civil justice system is using it. It's here to stay.'
Winnipeg Free Press
21-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Still helping Jewish community thrive at 25
Before immigrating to Winnipeg from Turkey in 2017, Daniel Kazado had never heard of the city. 'We just wanted to find a secure place where we could find work and raise our family,' Kazado, 48, said. Daniel and his wife, Lora Kazado, never experienced antisemitism directly in Turkey. But being Jewish in that country meant being wary. 'It was like living in a glass bowl, feeling exposed,' he said. 'You were always cautious.' Wanting to live somewhere more secure, they decided to move to Canada. At first, they thought about Toronto or Vancouver — both seemed to be good locations for the couple and their two children. Then, they heard about GrowWinnipeg, a program offered by the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg. The program, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, invites Jews in other countries to consider immigrating to the province. The Kazados applied and made a week-long visit. 'The people here were very welcoming,' Daniel Kazado of how the family felt embraced by the Jewish community. 'It was clear this would be a great place to live and raise our children.' Kazado is a mechanical engineer who owns his own business, and teaches at Red River College Polytechnic and the University of Manitoba. 'We feel at home here,' he said. 'The people here were very welcoming. It was clear this would be a great place to live and raise our children.'– Daniel Kazado The Kazados are among the more than 6,800 Jews who have come to Manitoba through GrowWinnipeg since 2000. They are from places such as Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine and Uruguay. GrowWinnipeg got its unofficial start in 1997, when representatives from the federation and the provincial government made an exploratory mission to Argentina. The visit was in the wake of the 1994 terrorist attack on the Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and injured more than 300. 'Many Jews in Argentina didn't feel safe,' said Evelyn Hecht, who went on that mission and met many Argentinian Jews who wanted to emigrate to Canada. The federation created GrowWinnipeg three years later, and Hecht was its first director. Through the program, potential immigrants are invited to visit Winnipeg for a week at their own expense. During that visit, they are met by volunteers who help them learn about the Jewish community and city while helping them with networking and providing job advice. Hecht, who retired in 2006, said the visits are key to the program's success. 'We want them to come and see the city with their own eyes,' she said. After the visit, those who would like to make Winnipeg home can apply to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program, through which people who demonstrate the potential to contribute to the economy seek permanent residency in Canada. Their application is accompanied by a letter of recommendation from GrowWinnipeg. Hecht said the success of the program goes beyond numbers. 'They bring excitement, energy and a love of things Jewish,' she said of their positive impact. 'They have rejuvenated the local Jewish community.' Bob Freedman was also on those early missions. It was supported by members of the Jewish community who wanted to find ways to reverse the declining Jewish population in Winnipeg, he said. 'We'd be in a sad situation' if not for GrowWinnipeg, Freedman said. 'I think we've developed a pretty good reputation for attracting newcomers. It turned out to be a successful initiative.' 'They provide emotional, spiritual and other supports, job connections, guide the newcomers through everything, providing them with whatever tools they need to be successful.'– Dalia Szpiro Dalia Szpiro is one of those early newcomers, arriving here from Uruguay in 2002 with her husband and two small children. She is the director of GrowWinnipeg, which is the only program of its kind in Canada that works in a close partnership with a provincial government to bring immigrants to the country. 'As young professionals, we didn't see much of a future in Uruguay,' she said. 'The Jewish community here was very welcoming.' Szpiro is passing that sense of welcome on to others, working with about 250 volunteers who welcome, host and help the potential immigrants during their week-long visits. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. 'It's a community effort,' she said, adding the support of the community is. 'They provide emotional, spiritual and other supports, job connections, guide the newcomers through everything, providing them with whatever tools they need to be successful,' Szpiro said. Federation CEO Jeff Lieberman said the influx of newcomers has helped stabilize the Jewish population in the city, which decreased from about 16,000 in 2000 to 13,690 in 2011. It is now about 14,000, the 2021 census determined. 'It's amazing what we have accomplished as a community,' Lieberman said of the impact of GrowWinnipeg. 'The newcomers are great people, educated, able to get jobs, and starting a new life in Winnipeg.' faith@ The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER John LonghurstFaith reporter John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jessica Hecht reveals she auditioned for Monica before being cast as Susan in ‘Friends': 'They just couldn't figure out...'
Before she was cast as Susan, the partner of Ross's ex-wife Carol, actress revealed that she had actually auditioned for the role of Monica on 'Friends'. Carol and Ross were played by Jane Sibbett and David Schwimmer, respectively. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a recent interview with Parade, the three-time Tony nominee shared that her audition for Monica happened quite unexpectedly. 'I knew the casting director from high school. I grew up in a small town near Hartford, Connecticut, called Bloomfield,' Hecht recalled. 'The only other person from my town who's an actor or has anything to do with entertainment is Anika Noni Rose. But there was this woman, Ellie Kanner.' 'I was out in Los Angeles, and my agent said, 'Oh, I sent your picture to this casting director for Friends,'' she added. 'There's one part; they're not sure if the actor will take it. They want to still look at some other actors, and I think she knows you from high school.' So I went in, mostly excited to see Ellie Kanner, and then they started to read me for Monica.' Being a backup didn't bother her Of course, Courteney Cox was eventually chosen to play Monica. Hecht told Parade that she thought of herself as 'a total backup.' She was later cast as Susan, a recurring character in 'Friends', and appeared in more than a dozen episodes, starting from the second episode of season 1. Reflecting on that time, Hecht said, 'If you're at the very beginning, you don't know what it's going to be. So you're just there trying to help them figure out what the show is. And you don't feel the weight of its history, because it has no history.' She added, 'In Friends, it's not that it was casual, but the show was not iconic by any stretch. So I had more creativity, and I had more of a sense of just trusting my gut about what I wanted to do with this character. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now And Jane Sibbett, who played my beautiful wife, we were so locked into each other, so it was mostly about our energy together. The actors were awesome, but nobody had that confidence yet, so it was a very delicious time. ' Hecht's struggles with character development Hecht also revealed that it was challenging for the show's creators to develop Susan's character. Carol and Susan's storyline was one of the earliest depictions of same-sex marriage on mainstream television, with their wedding featured in the first episode of season 2. Speaking about the role, Hecht said, 'They just couldn't figure out how to make Susan work.' She added, 'Because they—well, it's awful. But let's face it, all they wanted was a lesbian who didn't look exactly like lesbians had in the past.' Looking back, Hecht shared that she feels thankful she wasn't a lead character. She said the short stint on the show allowed her to enjoy the experience without dealing with the pressure of being in the spotlight all the time. Blake Lively's Win SLAMMED as Justin Baldoni's Team Plans EXPLOSIVE Legal Counter | WATCH
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jessica Hecht remembers auditioning for Friends' Monica before landing role as Susan
Jessica Hecht, who played Susan on Friends, recently revealed that she first auditioned for the character of Monica Geller. Speaking with Parade, the three-time Tony Award nominee broke down how the experience came about and looked back on her initial encounter with the legendary show. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Hecht, who is 59, said the audition for Monica was a referral from a connection to casting director Ellie Kanner, with whom she grew up in her hometown of Bloomfield, Connecticut. "I knew the casting director in high school. I am from a small town outside of Hartford, Connecticut, called Bloomfield," she said. "The only other cast or crew member from my town is Anika Noni Rose.". But there was this woman, Ellie Kanner. Remembering how the audition took place, Hecht went on, "I was in Los Angeles, and my agent said, 'Oh, I submitted your picture to this casting director for Friends. There's one role, they don't know if the actor will do.". They need to go look at some other actors, and I think she knows you from high school.' So I went in, mostly looking forward to seeing Ellie Kanner, and then they began reading me for Monica." Although she didn't get the role of Monica, Hecht went on to play Susan, Ross Geller's ex-wife Carol's wife and girlfriend, later. She was in over a dozen episodes, starting with the second episode of season one of the show. Looking back on the early stages of Friends, Hecht has stated, "If you're at the starting point, you have no idea what it's going to be. So you're just there helping them try to find out what the show is. And you don't feel the burden of its past, because it doesn't have one." Hecht's acting as Susan was a memorable aspect of the show, helping to become part of one of the series' first returnee storylines.
