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IN THE END...: In a perfect world...
Science fiction conjures up images of a world that is perhaps unimaginable today. Yet, these images inspire visions of the future. Artificial Intelligence experts predict that a time will come when most of the things we watch in sci-fi movies will become a living reality. Based on their predictions and the potential of current AI applications, the following is an account of how AI will be used to assist in fighting crime.
The year is 2050, a time when much has changed from the early years of the 21st century. Biometric passports are used, which are embedded with a sophisticated chip. It contains all pertinent details about an individual. Thus, passports cannot be forged. In addition, lost passports can be tracked down very easily. Voice recognition devices are used to open shops, homes or car doors. Robots serve people instead of waiters. Many of them work in offices and factories. Vehicles can run on superior fuel. Electronic cops regulate traffic; give tickets and control law and order. Children play with robotic toys, instead of real friends and people have robot pets. This is also an era of synthetic celebrities, who have their own talk shows and films. Since, there is no need to have real organs for transplantation, therefore, electronic devices are being used for the heart, kidneys, lungs, etc. There are also various cloning firms in the world, which follow stringent laws to clone individuals.
AI is used to detect forgeries and crooked police officers, monitor internet transactions, help plan police operations, search police databases for evidence, etc. But of course, all that is in the future. There are many AI systems used to detect and solve crimes today. Interested? Let’s take a look at some of them.
Animated holograms
Today, animated holograms (capable of 25 frames per second) project a wide angle of stereoscopic information, without the need for any goggles and are used for different reasons. George Michael’s hit single Fast Love also featured moving holograms. Holograms using real-time projections are used to question criminals. These are particularly useful, when detectives have to interrogate dangerous criminals confined to special areas. Animated holograms are also used to inform and direct people about different laws. In addition, holograms are used by many people who choose to electronically “document” their lives and to protect themselves and others against crime and false accusations.
Neural networks
These are used in conjunction with fuzzy logic and expert systems to enable information systems to have terminator-like qualities. In the financial sector, neural nets are used for fraud detection, crime analysis and predictive modeling. Some agencies use the neural net to search different databases for inactive criminals, who are likely to indulge in criminal activities. Neural nets are commonly used in high-security zones for speech, handprint, face and retina recognition. They also provide valuable information about suspects, while analyzing their pupil dilation, sweat patterns and speech. The AI systems described below also use the neural net technology:
1. Knowledge-based systems — these search through separate databases of different agencies and identify connections among suspects, vehicles, crimes, locations and other data to provide investigative leads. Their neural networks continually update information from many databases to learn patterns of association, so that they can perform searches with increasing intelligence. These systems can take millions of seemingly random, and often consequential, pieces of information and find connections between things like a license plate, weapon, nickname, speeding tickets, tattoos, bloodstains, hair strands, cloth fibers, etc.
2. Serial criminal pattern recognition and analysis system — the system compares records for cases with all files on past crimes. Working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it looks for telltale similarities in crime records and alerts detectives when it finds them. The system uses pattern-recognition software to link related crimes that may have taken place in widely separated areas whose police forces may rarely be in close contact. The system sifts through all case records available, assigning numerical values to different aspects of each crime, such as the kind of offence, the perpetrator’s sex, height and age, and the type of weapon or getaway vehicle used. From these statistics, it builds a crime description profile. The neural network is particularly good at finding patterns in a set of input data without human intervention.
National security system
It takes the broadest overview of the world’s social and defense systems and uses the evolutionary theory to predict possible threats and outcomes. The program feeds information on the state of the society. Data on the way people travel, the way they use energy and water, postal services and internet traffic is processed alongside information on the availability of weapons, chemicals, radioactive material, and so on. It then attempts to use the data to piece together possible threats that could emerge in the future. The system sheds light on the effect of security on the public and government offices, on health services and on people’s behaviour.
Robots
They are used for crime detection. For instance, robots are fed with data pertaining to traffic rules and regulations to monitor traffic and point spots of major roadside accidents. They are also fed with the appropriate data to investigate crimes. Robots are able to fight with criminals without actually killing them. Without the fear of death lurking on their heads, they can approach the most dangerous of criminals and apprehend them by using precise arm movements. On the crime scene, they are able to match fingerprints and instantaneously identify the felon. Some robots specialize in apprehending drug dealers.
Vision glasses
Detectives also have X-ray vision glasses, which enable them to see through laser beams, concrete and metal sheets. Moreover, these glasses can detect many things on a crime scene, such as fingerprints, footprints, fibers, hair, fluids, etc.
Despite the remarkable potential of these systems, one should not forget that in the year 2050, criminals would be more prudent and vigilant. Also, the scope of fraud and criminal activity would be huge. The criminals will also be aware of the latest crime control technologies and plan their activities very tactfully. Since advancements in AI technology will evolve from the human mind, therefore, it would be wrong to underestimate criminals.
The writer
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