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A hot potato: Could a film like Minority Report become reality with the latest AI technology? Javier Milei's flamboyant government appears willing to experiment and see if algorithmic precognition can become a tool for criminal investigations in Argentina.
Milei's administration recently established a new artificial intelligence unit, UIAAS, to prevent, detect, investigate, and prosecute criminals using AI algorithms. According to the law, UIAAS personnel will "patrol" open social networks, applications, websites, and even the Dark Web to identify crime perpetrators and detect potentially unlawful activities.
The Argentine government notes that AI is already being used by several countries, including the US, China, the UK, Israel, France, and others. These nations are reportedly exploiting machine learning (ML) algorithms and neural networks for video analysis, facial recognition, virtual assistance, automation, security, robotics, and more.
Officials have explicitly mentioned "crime prediction," utilizing powerful ML networks to analyze historical data in order to prevent future crimes. UIAAS is also expected to deploy biometric software for facial recognition, making it easier to identify "wanted" individuals through social media and CCTV-derived video footage.
Crime precognition became a major sci-fi trope after Steven Spielberg adapted a story by Philip K. Dick into the blockbuster film Minority Report in 2002. The latest advancements in machine learning technology have provided a semblance of human interaction through chatbots and generative AI services, which adds fuel to the idea that future crimes can be anticipated if there is enough historical data to analyze.
Human rights organizations have criticized Milei's latest "shock" measure as a potential disaster for freedom of expression and civil rights. Amnesty International stated that UIAAS represents a large-scale surveillance effort that could make people hesitant to share their ideas online, as they could easily be targeted by the new unit's scanning software.
Additionally, the Argentine Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information highlighted how these "prediction" technologies have been used in the past to build profiles on academics, journalists, politicians, and activists. Argentina has a particularly dark history of repression under military dictatorships, with tens of thousands of people kidnapped, tortured, and killed during the 1970s and 1980s. The events surrounding the Desaparecidos do not bode well for UIAAS activities, but Milei seems likely to proceed with the new AI unit regardless.