AI Research
Investigating the use and dangers of artificial intelligence in Jacksonville policing

A Lee County man was wrongfully arrested last year after AI facial recognition technology used by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office got it wrong. Experts are now warning about the potential dangers of the technology.
The Jacksonville Beach Police Department said 51-year-old Robert Dillon allegedly tried luring a 12-year-old child in Jacksonville Beach back in November of 2023. According to a police report, Dillon was linked to a suspect caught on surveillance video in a Jacksonville Beach McDonald’s through the use of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s AI facial recognition technology.
Jacksonville Beach PD conferred with JSO, according to the report, and the technology found a 93% match between Dillon and the suspect using that technology. The report says police then provided a photo spread of Dillon and other similar-looking individuals to two witnesses. Both identified Dillon as the suspect.
However, the case would later be completely dropped. The state attorney’s office told Action News Jax the arrest will be wiped from Mr. Dillon’s record.
“Police are not allowed under the Constitution to arrest somebody without probable cause,” Nate Freed-Wessler with the American Civil Liberties Union would later tell Action News Jax. “And this technology expressly cannot provide probable cause, it is so glitchy, it’s so unreliable. At best, it has to be viewed as an extremely unreliability lead because it often, often gets it wrong.”
Freed-Wessler is the deputy director for the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. He was also part of the legal team that helped sue on behalf of Robert Williams – a Detroit man wrongfully arrested thanks to facial recognition similar to the technology used to identify Dillon. The Detroit Police department settled that case for $300,000 in damages, and implemented safeguards when using AI facial recognition in their investigations.
Freed-Wessler told Action News Jax that wrongful arrests using AI facial recognition are more common than many think, especially among people of color.
“It’s partly because of photo quality problems in low light situations, when the cameras are trying to identify darker skin people,” Freed-Wessler explained. “In fact, in almost all of the wrongful arrest cases around the country that we know of, it’s been black people who have been incorrectly, wrongfully picked up by police.”
Action News Jax sat down with Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters to discuss the use of AI facial recognition technology in Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigations. Sheriff Waters reassured the technology is simply a small piece of the investigative puzzle.
“If you came to me with a facial recognition hit and that was your probable cause, I would probably kick you out of my office because that’s not how it works,” Sheriff Waters explained. “And I can’t speak to [the Jacksonville Beach Police Department’s] investigation. I can tell you this, there better be a lot more that goes along with that to help make sure that we have the proper individual too.”
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However, Freed-Wessler believes this procedure wasn’t properly followed by Jacksonville Beach police in their investigation, adding that photo spreads based on a facial recognition match aren’t sufficient evidence to make an arrest.
“When this technology gets it wrong, it’s going to get it wrong with a face of somebody who looks similar to the suspect,” Freed-Wessler explained. “It’s no surprise that when police juice a lineup procedure with a doppelganger, with a lookalike, a witness is going to choose an innocent person.”
Now, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department tells Action News Jax the investigation is still open after Dillon was cleared of any wrongdoing, adding in part:
“We will not be commenting on this matter beyond stating that all warrant requests are submitted to the state attorney’s office. It is solely their decision whether or not to move forward with issuing a warrant.”
Action News Jax reached out to the state attorney’s office as well. A spokesman only confirmed Dillon was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Now, Dillon’s lawyer tells Action News Jax that he is seeking compensation, although he and Dillon declined interview requests.
Meanwhile Courtney Barclay, an AI policy expert at Jacksonville University, said law enforcement agencies across the nation will continue to use AI and facial recognition. Barclay outlined the need to always second-guess.
“Every industry is just now starting to scratch the surface of the potential of AI, how it can impact our society. Law enforcement is no exception,” Barclay said. “And so, again, we just want to be cognizant of the risks.”
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AI Research
Databricks at a crossroads: Can its AI strategy prevail without Naveen Rao?

“Databricks is in a tricky spot with Naveen Rao stepping back. He was not just a figurehead, but deeply involved in shaping their AI vision, particularly after MosaicML,” said Robert Kramer, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.
“Rao’s absence may slow the pace of new innovation slightly, at least until leadership stabilizes. Internal teams can keep projects on track, but vision-driven leaps, like identifying the ‘next MosaicML’, may be harder without someone like Rao at the helm,” Kramer added.
Rao became a part of Databricks in 2023 after the data lakehouse provider acquired MosaicML, a company Rao co-founded, for $1.3 billion. During his tenure, Rao was instrumental in leading research for many Databricks products, including Dolly, DBRX, and Agent Bricks.
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NFL player props, odds: Week 2, 2025 NFL picks, SportsLine Machine Learning Model AI predictions, SGP

The Under went 12-4 in Week 1, indicating that not only were there fewer points scored than expected, but there were also fewer yards gained. Backing the Under with NFL prop bets was likely profitable for the opening slate of games, but will that maintain with Week 2 NFL props? Interestingly though, four of the five highest-scoring games last week were the primetime games, so if that holds, then the Overs for this week’s night games could be attractive with Week 2 NFL player props.
There’s a Monday Night Football doubleheader featuring star pass catchers like Nico Collins, Mike Evans and Brock Bowers. The games also feature promising rookies such as Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton and Emeka Egbuka. Prop lines are usually all over the place early in the season as sportsbooks attempt to establish a player’s potential, and you could take advantage of this with the right NFL picks. If you are looking for NFL prop bets or NFL parlays for Week 2, SportsLine has you covered with the top Week 2 player props from its Machine Learning Model AI.
Built using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques by SportsLine’s Data Science team, AI Predictions and AI Ratings are generated for each player prop.
Now, with the Week 2 NFL schedule quickly approaching, SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model AI has identified the top NFL props from the biggest Week 2 games.
Week 2 NFL props for Sunday’s main slate
After analyzing the NFL props from Sunday’s main slate and examining the dozens of NFL player prop markets, the SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model AI says Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown goes Over 63.5 receiving yards (-114) versus the Bears at 1 p.m. ET. Detroit will host this contest, which is notable as St. Brown has averaged 114 receiving yards over his last six home games. He had at least 70 receiving yards in both matchups versus the Bears a year ago.
Chicago allowed 12 receivers to go Over 63.5 receiving yards last season as the Bears’ pass defense is adept at keeping opponents out of the endzone but not as good at preventing yardage. Chicago allowed the highest yards per attempt and second-highest yards per completion in 2024. While St. Brown had just 45 yards in the opener, the last time he was held under 50 receiving yards, he then had 193 yards the following week. The SportsLine Machine Learning Model projects 82.5 yards for St. Brown in a 4.5-star pick. See more Week 2 NFL props here.
Week 2 NFL props for Vikings vs. Falcons on Sunday Night Football
After analyzing Falcons vs. Vikings props and examining the dozens of NFL player prop markets, the SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model AI says Falcons running back Bijan Robinson goes Over 65.5 rushing yards (-114). Robinson ran for 92 yards and a touchdown in Week 14 of last season versus Minnesota, despite the Vikings having the league’s No. 2 run defense a year ago. The SportsLine Machine Learning Model projects Robinson to have 81.8 yards on average in a 4.5-star prop pick. See more NFL props for Vikings vs. Falcons here.
You can make NFL prop bets on Robinson, Justin Jefferson and others with the Underdog Fantasy promo code CBSSPORTS2. Pick at Underdog Fantasy and get $50 in bonus funds after making a $5 wager:
Week 2 NFL props for Buccaneers vs. Texans on Monday Night Football
After analyzing Texans vs. Buccaneers props and examining the dozens of NFL player prop markets, the SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model AI says Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield goes Under 235.5 passing yards (-114). While Houston has questions regarding its offense, there’s little worry about the team’s pass defense. In 2024, Houston had the second-most interceptions, the fourth-most sacks and allowed the fourth-worst passer rating. Since the start of last year, and including the playoffs, the Texans have held opposing QBs under 235.5 yards in 13 of 20 games. The SportsLine Machine Learning Model forecasts Mayfield to finish with just 200.1 passing yards, making the Under a 4-star NFL prop. See more NFL props for Buccaneers vs. Texans here.
You can also use the latest FanDuel promo code to get $300 in bonus bets instantly:
Week 2 NFL props for Chargers vs. Raiders on Monday Night Football
After analyzing Raiders vs. Chargers props and examining the dozens of NFL player prop markets, the SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model AI says Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert goes Under 254.5 passing yards (-114). The Raiders’ defense was underrated in preventing big passing plays a year ago as it ranked third in the NFL in average depth of target allowed. It forced QBs to dink and dunk their way down the field, which doesn’t lead to big passing yardages, and L.A. generally prefers to not throw the ball anyway. Just four teams attempted fewer passes last season than the Chargers, and with L.A. running for 156.5 yards versus Vegas last season, Herbert shouldn’t be overly active on Monday night. He’s forecasted to have 221.1 passing yards in a 4.5-star NFL prop bet. See more NFL props for Chargers vs. Raiders here.
How to make Week 2 NFL prop picks
SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model has identified another star who sails past his total and has dozens of NFL props rated 4 stars or better. You need to see the Machine Learning Model analysis before making any Week 2 NFL prop bets.
Which NFL prop picks should you target for Week 2, and which quarterback has multiple 5-star rated picks? Visit SportsLine to see the latest NFL player props from SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model that uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence to make its projections.
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“I think the focus should be less on learning how to work with the interfaces we have right now and more on just graduate with a story about how you did something with AI that you couldn’t have done without it. And then, crucially, how you shared it with someone else,” he continued.
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