LIBE, a committee of the European Parliament published an article ‘Artificial Intelligence in policing: safeguards needed against mass surveillance“. Amongst others the committee writes:
The use of Artificial Intelligence in law enforcement and the judiciary should be subject to strong safeguards and human oversight, says the Civil Liberties Committee.
In a draft report adopted with 36 votes to 24, and 6 abstentions, MEPs highlight the need for democratic guarantees and accountability for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in law enforcement.Measures against discrimination
MEPs worry that the use of AI systems in policing could potentially lead to mass surveillance, breaching key EU principles of proportionality and necessity. The committee warns that otherwise legal AI applications could be re-purposed for mass surveillance.
The draft resolution highlights the potential for bias and discrimination in the algorithms on which AI and machine-learning systems are based. As a system’s results depend on its inputs (such as training data), it is important to take algorithm bias into account. Currently, AI-based identification systems are inaccurate and can wrongly identify minority ethnic groups, LGBTI people, seniors and women, among other groups. In addition, AI-powered predictions can amplify existing discrimination, a concern in the context of law enforcement and the judiciary.
It makes me wonder why LiBE is not paying attention to the surveillance practices in anti-money laundering, e.g. by banks.