In the sci-fi movie Minority Report, Tom Cruise plays a police officer investigating ‘pre-crimes’ – those which are yet to happen, but are predicted by super-intelligent psychic beings. Real-life Argentina might not be relying on psychics, but President Javier Milei has unveiled plans to use AI to ‘predict future crimes’ in a move which has alarmed civil rights activists.
As any software engineer will tell you, a predictive algorithm is only as good as the data you put into it
The creation of the catchily-named ‘Artificial Intelligence Applied to Security Unit’ is an attempt to integrate AI into modern law enforcement practices in South America’s second-largest economy. It will use ‘machine-learning algorithms’ on past data to predict the future, the legislation says, alongside deploying facial recognition software to identify suspects.
The announcement has chilled human rights advocates in Argentina, where many still remember the brutal and repressive tactics employed by the country’s right-wing dictatorship in the late 1970sand early 1980s. An estimated 30,000 people were forcibly ‘disappeared’ over the course of the seven-year regime, including many thrown from planes in the dead of night in what have become known as ‘death flights’.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in