AI & Policing: Knowledge Synthesis Report on the Governance & Use of Artificial Intelligence by Police in Canada

Abstract

Police services across Canada are using, or exploring, a broad range of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including facial recognition, location-based predictive policing, automated licence plate readers, AI-assisted police reports, object recognition and video analytics, social media monitoring, gunshot detection, probabilistic genotyping, and data mining. While promising productivity and public safety benefits, these tools also raise various concerns and risks. Canada currently lacks AI-specific legislation and regulations governing these new technologies, or even a statement of principles on the governance and use of AI by police