Author: Sally Halls, Head of CoLab, Policy and Innovation Lab for the Home Office
We recently kicked off a public dialogue around how police forces could use AI tools. It is the first time the Home Office has engaged with the public in this way, and we’re looking forward to hearing what people think.
AI is a complex emotive area. It holds the promise of delivering significant benefits for the public, allowing police to prevent, detect and investigate criminal activity more accurately and efficiently.
But there are also concerns regarding ethics, the potential for bias and data privacy, which early trials in using AI tools have encountered in a range of sectors over the last decade. As AI tools become the norm in workplaces and daily life, there are important questions about how the police should use them to deliver a better service for the public.
In 2023, a Covenant for Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Policing was endorsed by all members of the National Police Chief Council (NPCC). A key principle of this was creating transparency in how police use AI technology. More broadly the UK has a core policing principle of policing by consent, which makes it important to ensure the public understand and agree with how this technology is deployed.
Without a clear understanding of public appetite and concerns for the use of AI tools in policing, there is a risk that police forces do not adopt tools that command public support. It is also possible, if the public is not engaged, that these tools are adopted nonetheless, potentially leading to controversy, blockages in the criminal justice system, and adverse outcomes for the public.
Whilst much research has been conducted on police use of facial recognition technology, we’d identified a gap in how the public view other AI-enabled tools. We wanted to conduct research to learn more about people’s views, but quickly realised that research methods such as focus groups would not work in such a complex policy area. We needed to be able to go deeper and have an informed dialogue.
So we’re thrilled to be working in this way on this important topic. We’re looking forward to hearing more about what the public’s concerns might be and to understand more about the kinds of situations where safeguards might be required. Ultimately this work will help us to better understand where public funding should be invested and how AI should be deployed by policing.
