This proposal, titled “Surveillance State or Safety Net? Navigating the Future of AI in Law Enforcement,” aims to provoke critical debate on the cutting-edge and potentially invasive uses of AI technologies such as real-time CCTV facial recognition, social scoring systems, and physical reaction monitoring by law enforcement. It seeks to explore the dichotomy between the advancement of public safety and the encroachment on personal freedoms and data. It will critically assess the risks associated with evolving into a preventive state, where predictive policing and surveillance become omnipresent with the help of AI. Through comparing the regulatory landscapes of the EU and USA on AI, (e.g., AI Act and case-law), the workshop will debate how the two legal systems are addressing the line between innovation and intrusion in that regard, especially concerning data protection and fundamental rights.
