AI is increasingly being used in American policing, but the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools by law enforcement has raised serious concerns about their reliability and potential misuse. Critics argue that AI facial-recognition tools are often inaccurate, leading to false leads and wrongful arrests, particularly targeting people of color.
The reliance on AI also perpetuates existing biases in policing, with systemic over-policing and containment of working-class Black and brown communities being further entrenched. Humans may defer to AI's calculating nature, ignoring the reality that AI knowledge learns from the past to predict the future, which can amplify unethical practices already prevalent in policing.
"Large language model vendors are never going to talk about what can go wrong," says Graham Lovelace, a journalist and writer on AI technology. "They never discuss hallucinations or give health warnings to the public. It's not in their self-interest." However, AI tools can be highly unreliable and cause harm, with many predictions generated by these tools being inaccurate.
ShotSpotter technology, used by police departments across the US, has been criticized for its high false positive rate, with some studies showing that up to 90% of alerts do not match real gun violence. Despite this, many police departments continue to use AI-powered surveillance tools, often citing their effectiveness in reducing crime and saving lives.
However, critics argue that these tools are used to justify the deployment of more officers in already militarized areas, particularly in low-income communities of color. This can lead to a perpetuation of existing power structures, with AI serving as an automator of existing hierarchies rather than questioning or correcting them.
The use of AI surveillance regimes also raises concerns about privacy and due process rights. Many police departments are opaque about their contracts with private companies, making it difficult for the public to understand how these tools work and what data they collect. The creation of "black boxes" around AI systems makes it challenging for citizens to hold corporations accountable for their actions.
"The companies can essentially use them [AI] to train their data for other sales that they want to make down the line," says Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, a law professor at George Washington University. This raises concerns about the exploitation of public trust and the prioritization of corporate interests over public safety.
Ultimately, critics argue that AI surveillance tools are not a solution to complex social problems like policing and crime. Instead, they cannibalize resources for more effective solutions, such as healthcare, affordable housing, education, and community development. As one critic notes, "the very idea that complex social problems can be solved by advanced technology is a false, expensive promise."
The reliance on AI also perpetuates existing biases in policing, with systemic over-policing and containment of working-class Black and brown communities being further entrenched. Humans may defer to AI's calculating nature, ignoring the reality that AI knowledge learns from the past to predict the future, which can amplify unethical practices already prevalent in policing.
"Large language model vendors are never going to talk about what can go wrong," says Graham Lovelace, a journalist and writer on AI technology. "They never discuss hallucinations or give health warnings to the public. It's not in their self-interest." However, AI tools can be highly unreliable and cause harm, with many predictions generated by these tools being inaccurate.
ShotSpotter technology, used by police departments across the US, has been criticized for its high false positive rate, with some studies showing that up to 90% of alerts do not match real gun violence. Despite this, many police departments continue to use AI-powered surveillance tools, often citing their effectiveness in reducing crime and saving lives.
However, critics argue that these tools are used to justify the deployment of more officers in already militarized areas, particularly in low-income communities of color. This can lead to a perpetuation of existing power structures, with AI serving as an automator of existing hierarchies rather than questioning or correcting them.
The use of AI surveillance regimes also raises concerns about privacy and due process rights. Many police departments are opaque about their contracts with private companies, making it difficult for the public to understand how these tools work and what data they collect. The creation of "black boxes" around AI systems makes it challenging for citizens to hold corporations accountable for their actions.
"The companies can essentially use them [AI] to train their data for other sales that they want to make down the line," says Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, a law professor at George Washington University. This raises concerns about the exploitation of public trust and the prioritization of corporate interests over public safety.
Ultimately, critics argue that AI surveillance tools are not a solution to complex social problems like policing and crime. Instead, they cannibalize resources for more effective solutions, such as healthcare, affordable housing, education, and community development. As one critic notes, "the very idea that complex social problems can be solved by advanced technology is a false, expensive promise."
! I mean, I get it, we need to stay safe, but come on, using AI tools that are so unreliable? It's like they're gonna start arresting people for just walking down the street 
. And what really gets me is how these companies just want to use AI to make a buck, not even caring about the harm it could cause. Like, hello, we need better solutions than just slapping some tech on top of our problems 
. We should be investing in things like healthcare and education, not just throwing more money at surveillance tools that are just gonna perpetuate existing biases 
. And can we even trust these companies with our data? They're basically hiding what they do behind some kind of "black box" 
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. If the AI is not accurate then we're still dealing with cops making mistakes, but now they've got fancy tech to blame 
. We need to look at why these communities are in poverty and crime rates in the first place. Is it really gonna solve anything just by throwing more cops at a problem? 
. We need to think about how we're funding these AI programs and whether that money is going towards community development or just lining the pockets of corporate America 
. Can't have our law enforcement agencies using technology to further entrench existing power structures 
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. It's just not worth the risk of perpetuating biases and causing more harm to already marginalized communities. I've been doing some research on this topic and it seems like many of these tools are highly unreliable, with a high false positive rate for ShotSpotter tech 
. And yet, we're still relying on them to reduce crime? It just doesn't add up.
. How can we trust these corporations when they're not even willing to be open with us? And what about the exploitation of public trust for corporate interests? That's just unacceptable 
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. The problem is, we gotta trust the system to do what's right... but AI's just learning from past mistakes and making new ones 
. Can't we focus on solving actual problems like poverty and inequality instead of relying on tech that's more likely to let us down? 
I'm low-key worried about this whole AI policing thing 
. Like, we all want to stay safe, but we gotta make sure our safety isn't just a excuse for systemic racism 
. We need to have a real conversation about how we can use technology for good, not just perpetuate the status quo 
. And we all know how that can lead to people of color getting targeted more often... it's just not right 
. It's like they're trying to hide something, and I'm all about transparency 
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. Let's focus on investing in real solutions, like education and community development, rather than throwing money at tech that might just perpetuate more harm 
. We need to ask ourselves if these tools are really helping us or if they're just serving as a convenient excuse for systemic oppression.
. When police departments are opaque about their contracts with private companies, it's like they're hiding something 
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. We need to take a more nuanced approach and acknowledge the role of power and privilege in shaping our society.
. They just lead to more problems than solutions, ya know? Like, people of color gettin' wrongfully arrested and stuff... it's just not right 
. And what really gets me is that we're willin' to give these companies this much power without even understandin' how it all works 
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. That's my two cents 
i mean what's next? relying on AI to solve complex social problems like healthcare and education?