According to The Guardian, the British government is developing a program to ‘predict’ murders, simply by identifying the individuals most likely to commit these crimes. — AFP Relaxnews
The UK authorities are said to be considering developing algorithms capable of preventing crimes by analysing criminal data. Such an initiative would raise ethical questions – and also brings to mind a classic science fiction film.
According to The Guardian, the British government is developing a program to "predict” murders, simply by identifying the individuals most likely to commit these crimes. This project, called "sharing data to improve risk assessment”, works with algorithms that analyse the personal data of thousands of people already known to the authorities.
For the moment, the project is only in the research phase, and only uses data from individuals with at least one criminal conviction. This includes information from police and probation service files. Types of data reportedly being integrated include criminal convictions, data relating to health and addictions, as well as any disabilities or suicide attempts, for example.
The aim of this tool would be to improve public safety through better risk analysis. But this project is controversial because it involves access to highly sensitive data, some of which relates to people's private lives. There are also concerns that this type of AI model will end up being inherently biased against certain minorities.
Even before it is officially launched, this project is therefore raising legitimate concerns about ethics, data protection and discrimination. Indeed, a report published by Amnesty International in February 2025 argued that the use of algorithms and data to predict crimes should be banned because of potentially discriminatory biases.
The project echoes the well-known movie, Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise. Released in 2002, but supposedly set in 2054, it portrays a society that has succeeded in eradicating crime thanks to a sophisticated system of prevention, detection and repression. Could it be that reality is set to surpass fiction? – AFP Relaxnews
