Several private sector companies gave demonstrations of virtual communications, facial recognition, and incident prediction and response optimisation systems to the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation. The gathering was to consider applications of these new technologies for law enforcement.
As the international police body says, artificial intelligence and robotics – from facial recognition to ‘futurecasting’ – can have implications for police, positive and negative. In the hands of criminals, these technologies can pose digital and physical threats, while at the same time these tools offer opportunities to combat crime.
The first global meeting to examine the opportunities and risks of AI and robotics for law enforcement was organised by INTERPOL’s Innovation Centre and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), through its Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. A two-day (July 11 and 12) conference brought together 50 people from law enforcement in 13 countries and partners from the private sector and academia. They discussed how AI and robotics can be used by law enforcement to support their activities; for conducting virtual autopsies; crime prediction systems to support police to optimise resources; behaviour detection tools; techniques to autonomously research, analyse and respond to international mutual legal assistance requests; blockchain-based traceability approaches that respect privacy; and autonomous patrol vehicles.
The event also considered ethical challenges, such as ensuring AI is fair, explainable and transparent and balancing the need for security with the right to privacy. A call was made for a follow-up meeting.
Anita Hazenberg, Director of INTERPOL’s Innovation Centre said: “Innovation is not a matter for police alone. Strong partnerships between all stakeholders with expertise is necessary to ensure police can quickly adapt to future challenges and formulate inventive solutions.”
