by Ethan Faverino | Nov 7, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
Axon, a global leader in public safety technology, has signed an agreement to acquire Carbyne, the cloud-native emergency communications platform trusted by agencies serving over 250 million people worldwide.
The $625 million transaction, expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, marks a critical milestone in Axon’s mission to transform public safety from the moment a 911 call is placed.
By combining Carbyne’s modern call-handling core with Axon’s AI-driven Prepared platform, the company introduces Axon 911–the industry’s first fully integrated, start-to-finish emergency response system.
Axon 911 seamlessly links callers, dispatchers, and field responders through real-time data, live video, multilingual translation, and automated evidence workflows. From the initial alert to final case resolution in Axon Evidence, every critical detail is captured, shared, and actionable.
“Every year, more than 240 million 911 calls are made in the U.S., and in too many cases, vital information is lost between the call and the response,” said Axon Founder and CEO, Rick Smith. “By uniting Axon’s 30-year legacy of innovation with Carbyne’s cloud-based call management platform, we’re closing that gap, giving call takers and dispatchers instant visibility and connecting them directly to officers in the field. It’s how we transform a call for help into the first moment of intelligence.”
The transformation relies on two complementary engines. Prepared by Axon serves as an AI overlay that enhances any existing 911 system with real-time transcriptions, automated triage, and non-emergency deflection. It currently operates in over 1,000 centers across 49 states and serves nearly 100 million residents.
Carbyne functions as a cloud-native core with 99.9% uptime, intelligent routing for voice, text, and video, and real-time voice-to-voice translation. The platform currently processes more than 250 million data points annually.
Together, Prepared and Carbyne power Axon 911 as a unified platform. Call data instantly feeds Axon Fusus for real-time analytics and command visibility. Dispatchers can trigger Axon Drone as First Responder (DFR) directly from the call screen to help deliver real-time updates. Body-camera footage, drone feeds, and digital evidence are automatically archived in Axon Evidence.
Even though 80% of 911 calls now originate from cell phones, most centers still rely on decades-old landline systems. A survey done by Carbyne with the help of the National Emergency Number Association reveals that 86% of centers face high call volumes at least weekly, with 35% experiencing them daily. Additionally, 63% report that 50-80% of calls are non-emergencies.
“Carbyne was created to modernize how help arrives — by giving emergency professionals the clarity, resilience, and confidence they need in critical moments,” said Carbyne Founder and CEO, Amir Elichai. “Joining Axon allows us to scale that mission globally and integrate more deeply into the broader public safety ecosystem. Together, we’ll help agencies save time, reduce uncertainty, and improve outcomes for the people and communities they serve.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Oct 31, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
The Arizona Freedom Caucus announced that Representative Alexander Kolodin will lead a special hearing on “The Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Democratic Governance and How to Preserve Meaningful Elections” on Friday, November 14, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. in House Hearing Room 4 at the Arizona State Capitol.
The hearing, open to the public and livestreamed through the Arizona Legislature’s website, will focus on how the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping democratic institutions and the electoral process. Lawmakers plan to explore both the opportunities AI presents for improving government efficiency and the potential threats it poses to election security, voter confidence, and public trust.
Representative Kolodin, who chairs the House Ad Hoc Committee on Election Integrity and Florida-style Voting Systems, will be joined by four other Arizona House members, including fellow Freedom Caucus member Representative Rachel Keshel.
“The states cannot be complacent when it comes to the rapid development of AI,” Kolodin said in a statement. “The risk of insufficient oversight of AI is literally what dystopian nightmares are made of. Although it is reasonable to be excited about the prospects of AI to improve human life and society, it is equally critical to be vigilant about the ways it can be abused to erode our freedoms, including threatening democratic governance and our elections.”
The Arizona Freedom Caucus said it views the hearing as a proactive step toward crafting policy that anticipates how AI could be weaponized to undermine democratic processes. The group emphasized that while AI offers enormous benefits, its misuse could have far-reaching consequences for liberty, privacy, and electoral integrity.
“There is perhaps no greater concern than how AI will impact our elections,” the caucus said in its release. “We believe the best way to prevent destructive scenarios is to address AI’s prospective impacts and uses on the frontend.”
The November 14 session is expected to feature expert testimony and legislative discussion on strategies to safeguard Arizona’s electoral systems while responsibly integrating emerging technologies.
Members of the public can view the livestream of the hearing here.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Oct 27, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona education leaders want their students to be ready for the dawning age of artificial intelligence (AI).
The state is now the leader in the nation for percentage of students using AI tools. State Superintendent Tom Horne announced this development on Thursday in a press release.
“I am a strong supporter of AI as a classroom tool to assist, but not replace, educators,” said Horne. “So far, about 4,000 educators statewide are using this system, and I encourage more teachers to sign up. It is an invaluable resource that helps educators do their jobs more effectively.”
Over 170,000 students — representing 16 percent of the state’s public school student population — are using AI-powered tutoring to improve their academic performance.
These students rely on the AI education system Khanmigo within Khan Academy. Horne called the sweeping adoption of the tools “tremendous.” The Arizona Department of Education invested $1.5 million for Khamingo access last year.
Horne said he selected Khanmigo for its tutoring approach: guiding students through the critical thought process, rather than merely providing answers.
“It engages students by asking questions that guide them to discover solutions on their own,” said Horne. “This approach delivers rigorous, individualized Socratic-style tutoring — a proven method for improving academic outcomes.”
The “Socratic” method referenced by Horne concerns arriving at answers through a series of open-ended questions structured to encourage critical thinking.
An example of Khanmigo’s phrasing provided in the press release (solving for “m” in the sample math problem, 3 – 2(9+2m) = m) showed how the tool prioritizes guiding the student to work through problems.
“Let’s work through it together! What do you think the first step should be to solve this equation?”
Khanmigo conversations are also recordable and viewable by teachers.
The over 4,000 Arizona educators mentioned by Horne rely on an online AI platform called the Arizona Digital Educators Library (ADEL). This platform assists educators with creating lesson plans and classroom materials that meet the state’s academic standards.
ADEL also has 50 ambassadors to increase educator usage throughout the state. There are over 57,000 educators in the state: over 47,000 in district schools and nearly 10,000 in charter schools.
As Horne explained in his State of Education speech in January, educators can use Khanmigo to strengthen student weaknesses revealed through testing.
“Today, when a teacher gives a test, some students get 90 percent, others get 70 percent. Those with 70 percent are moved to the next grade, missing 30 percent of the knowledge they need for continuing their studies. They are lost,” said Horne. “With Khanmigo, the teacher can say ‘here is what you did not learn, use Khanmigo to tutor you on that subject.’”
State Senator Jake Hoffman, founder of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, expressed support for the implementation of AI tools in schools. Hoffman said AI posed a greater threat to the American worker than Russia, China, and nuclear war.
“If K-12 public schools and public universities are not aggressively retooling every aspect of their operation to equip students with the skills to survive in this new AI age, they’ve already failed,” said Hoffman.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Sep 7, 2025 | Economy, News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Hadrian, a fast-growing advanced manufacturing company specializing in AI-powered production, recently announced it has raised $260 million in fresh capital and will significantly expand its operations in California and Arizona. The move comes as the U.S. defense sector seeks to bolster domestic industrial capacity amid heightened global competition.
The latest funding round, a Series C led by Founders Fund and Lux Capital with additional financing arranged by Morgan Stanley, will finance new facilities, expanded research and development capabilities, and dedicated production for naval defense. In total, Hadrian plans to add nearly five football fields’ worth of manufacturing space.
Company founder and CEO Chris Power said the investment reflects both urgency and opportunity. “America cannot afford to lose another generation of industrial capacity,” Power said. “China is making massive bets on industrial dominance. The United States needs to respond not just with policy, but with production. That’s what Hadrian is here to do.”
At the center of the announcement is Hadrian’s planned Factory 3 (F3) in Mesa. The 270,000-square-foot facility represents a $200 million investment and is expected to create 350 new jobs. The site will serve as both a large-scale production plant and a software hub, with operations slated to begin by January 2026.
Arizona officials welcomed the project as a boost to the state’s growing role in aerospace and defense. Governor Katie Hobbs called Arizona “at the heart of America’s national defense,” while Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman described the investment as proof of the city’s status as a national hub for advanced manufacturing.
“Hadrian’s presence marks a major step forward in strengthening America’s industrial base,” Freeman said.
Alongside the Mesa facility, Hadrian is preparing to establish a new 400,000-square-foot corporate and R&D headquarters to support what it described as the “rapid hiring of thousands” in the coming years.
Hadrian emphasizes speed as a key differentiator. Powered by its proprietary Opus software, the company says it can launch new factories in under six months, a pace far quicker than traditional manufacturing buildouts.
Economic development leaders in Arizona say the company’s decision reinforces the state’s attractiveness to high-tech industries. “Greater Phoenix is known internationally as a hub for innovation, and Hadrian is leveraging the region’s advantages for its transformative F3 in Mesa,” said Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.
Hadrian positions itself as a cornerstone of a broader effort to restore America’s manufacturing base, with a particular focus on defense production. Its model blends automation, AI, robotics, and machine learning with traditional process engineering.
By moving critical production onshore, the company argues it can help the U.S. counter reliance on foreign suppliers while creating new jobs. “We’re building the factories that will secure American leadership in advanced manufacturing,” Power said. Hadrian expects both the Mesa site and its new headquarters to be operational by early 2026.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | May 30, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The Arizona Legislature has sent a bill to the governor that would strengthen protections for political candidates.
Last week, the Arizona Senate approved SB 1359, which would “require a person who distributes a deceptive and fraudulent deepfake of a candidate within 90 days before an election to include a clear and conspicuous disclosure that the media includes content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) and subjects a person that fails to disclose a deepfake as outlined to a civil penalty” – according to the purpose statement from the state Senate.
Senator Frank Carroll, the sponsor of the bill, noted in the Arizona Senate Republicans weekly newsletter that his proposal received “near unanimous support.”
In February, Carroll’s legislation had passed out of the Arizona Senate with an overwhelmingly bipartisan result of 24-4 (with two members not voting). After it was transmitted to the Arizona House of Representatives, it was amended and received a 56-0 tally earlier this month (with four members not voting). The Senate then concurred with the changes from the other chamber with a 25-1 vote (with four members not voting).
Senators Bolick, Gowan, Petersen, and Shamp joined as co-sponsors of the legislation.
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, Arizona National Organization for Women, and State Conference NAACP signed in to support the bill. A representative from the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona indicated opposition to the legislation.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
