Canada's Wealthiest Neighbourhood Moves To Use AI-Surveillance System To Prevent Crime

As the rage over use of artificial intelligence continues, one of Canada’s wealthiest areas has moved to install an AI-powered surveillance system to prevent surging property crime.

According to The Guardian, the residents of Rosedale have been left on edge by a sustained rise in home invasions, with robbers targeting the tree-lined neighbourhood at a rate more than double the city average. Due to this growing unease, 60 out of 350 members have reportedly contributed to fund to have “virtual gated community”.

“My friends experienced a horrific home invasion here in the community – their children were held at knifepoint, and they will be traumatised for the rest of their life,” said Craig Campbell, the Rosedale resident who proposed the plan. “Other

friends aren’t sleeping well at night because they’re anxious about the crime that’s going to occur. Almost everyone knows someone who has been affected. Something has to be done.”

The Guardian quoted a US-based company Flock saying that the artificial intelligence underpinning the technology can learn which cars belong to residents and which ones are suspicious.

The data is retained for 30 days and police would be able to access data with legal authorization.

Meanwhile, the company has been criticised by activists in the US after the local police shared data from schools with ICE agents and a police officer used the system to search the country for a woman who had had a self-administered abortion, The Guardian reported.

Besides, dozens of errors have been reported when reading a vehicle licence plate or a lack of verification by officers. One such incident included people who never committed crimes were stopped at gunpoint, sent to jail or mauled by a police dog.

The concept of virtual AI community has been lauded by the Toronto police who said that when residents felt unsafe from crime, they “may look for ways to increase their sense of security”.