“Ian Adams, an assistant professor in the department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina, told CNN that police are currently rapidly adopting new technologies, including AI – with little evidence for their efficacy. “We’re doing it so quickly that all agencies really have to rely on is vendor promises,” he said. He added that most mistakes involving AI in policing involve human error, too. “The overwhelming amount of the time, it’s not just a technology problem, it’s a technology and people problem,” Adams said. “We get nightmare scenarios when we don’t have people doing what they’re supposed to do, with technology that they’re using inappropriately.” Because AI tools are so powerful, “it’s very easy to get lulled into a sense of complacency,” he said. But “your detectives need to be really, really careful to make sure that they’re putting their human eyes on these algorithmic results.” ”
