Police to use AI to identify child abuse images
Plan would cut costs and help officers avoid psychological trauma
![New Scotland Yard](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tR8grV9XGjtR8dHYTxTKqf-415-80.jpg)
Police forces are planning to use artificial intelligence (AI) systems to identify images of child abuse, in a bid to prevent officers from suffering psychological trauma.
Image recognition software is already used by the Metropolitan Police’s forensics department, which last year searched more than 53,000 seized devices for incriminating evidence, The Daily Telegraph reports. But the systems are not “sophisticated enough to spot indecent images and video”.
However, plans are being developed to move sensitive data collected by police to cloud providers such as Google and Microsoft, according to the newspaper.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This would allow specialists to harness the tech giants’ massive computing power for analytics, without needing to invest in a multimillion-pound hardware infrastructure.
It would also reduce the risk of police officers suffering psychological trauma as a result of analysing the images, as they would largely be removed from the process.
The Metropolitan’s chief of digital forensics, Mark Stokes, told The Daily Telegraph: “We have to grade indecent images for different sentencing, and that has to be done by human beings right now.
“You can imagine that doing that for year on year is very disturbing.”
With the help of Silicon Valley providers, AI could be trained to detect abusive images “within two to three years”, Stokes adds.
Image searches is not the only use of AI technology by the authorities. In May, The Verge reported that Durham Police were planning to use AI technology to determine whether arrested suspects should remain in custody.
The system, which was trialled over the summer, gauges a suspect’s risk to society based on a range of factors including the severity of their crime and whether they are a “flight risk”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
The war against AI bots is still really about privacy versus money
The explainer Is this the real life? Is this technology?
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Why are facial recognition technology rules changing in Detroit?
Today's Big Question A wrongful arrest leads to a big settlement
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
There's one thing AI can't do: be funny
The Explainer But will the technology's hilarity evolve? Some experts think so.
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
The growing dystopian AI influencer economy
In the Spotlight AI-generated digital personas are giving human influencers a run for their money
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How AI is used in UK train stations
Under the Radar Image recognition software that can track passenger emotions pits privacy concerns against efficiency and safety improvements
By The Week UK Published
-
Apple unveils AI integration, ChatGPT partnership
Speed Read AI capabilities will be added to a bulked-up Siri and other apps, in partnership with OpenAI's ChatGPT
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Apple Intelligence: iPhone maker set to overhaul the AI experience
In the Spotlight A 'top-to-bottom makeover of the iPhone' sees the tech giant try to win the consumer AI game
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published