Device & Virtue

S9E1 — A.I. Cops: Is Crime Predestined?

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“Minority Report” was just a movie, right? Well, not anymore. Beat cops from Los Angeles to London are using Artificial Intelligence to forecast tomorrow’s murders. Is every crime predestined?

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere, including the police station. From forecasting burglary to heading off homicides, predictive policing is more than 10 years old, and your city is probably already using it. 

What is predictive policing, and what should Christians think about it? Chris and Adam unpack the ethics of prediction and beliefs about predestination. They look some of the risks that come with crime statistics, and the solutions that don’t merely reduce crime but actually increase justice. 

Plus, if you’ve ever used Google Analytics, stick around for the Bible story of David’s census

In this episode
  • What is predictive policing?
  • Is crime predictable? Is it predestined? 
  • What personal data is being tracked?
  • How can crime statistics be biased?
  • What should Christians think?
    • Links
    • Predictive Policing Explained (Brennan Center for Justice)
    • 2021: Predictive Policing and Crime Control in The United States of America and Europe: Trends in a Decade of Research and the Future of Predictive Policing (Social Sciences Journal)
    • 2022: ​​Algorithm predicts crime a week in advance, but reveals bias in police response (University of Chicago)
    • 2022: The never-ending quest to predict crime using AI (Washington Post)
    • 2020: Predictive policing algorithms are racist. They need to be dismantled. (MIT Tech Review)
    • 2017: How strategic is Chicago’s “Strategic Subjects List”? (Equal Future)
    • 2020 Update: Chicago police end effort to predict gun offenders, victims. (Associated Press)
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      Device & VirtueBy Chris Ridgeway & Adam Graber
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