Surveillance

An automated security-screening system failed to detect a weapon that went on to be used in an attack. Administrators at Proctor High School in Utica, New York, decommissioned an AI-powered weapon detector by Evolv Technologies after a student snuck a knife into the school, BBC reported.

Large language models may soon help military analysts and commanders make decisions on the battlefield.

French lawmakers said “oui” to broad uses of AI-powered surveillance. France’s National Assembly authorized authorities to test systems that detect unlawful, dangerous, or unusual behavior at next year’s Summer Olympics in Paris. The bill will become law unless the country’s top court blocks it.

Governments are repurposing Covid-focused face recognition systems as tools of repression. Russia’s internal security forces are using Moscow’s visual surveillance system, initially meant to help enforce pandemic-era restrictions, to crack down on anti-government...

A major company is using face recognition to settle scores. MSG Entertainment, which operates large entertainment venues in several cities in the United States, used face recognition to block its perceived enemies from attending events...

AI-driven signs are deciding what to display based on data harvested from passersby. Companies that sell advertising in public spaces use face analysis and personal data to match ads with potential viewers in real time.

United States colleges tracked activists using a natural language processing system intended to monitor their mental health.

A state in Australia plans to outfit prisons with face recognition. Corrective Services NSW, the government agency that operates nearly every prison in New South Wales, contracted the U.S.-based IT firm Unisys to replace a previous system.

A U.S. court ruled against an implementation of AI-powered software designed to catch students who cheat on academic examinations.

French tax authorities netted nearly €10 million using an automated system to identify unregistered pools

The European Union passed a law that requires new vehicles to come equipped with automated safety features.

Computer vision systems are scanning satellite photos to track construction on the Earth’s surface — an exercise in behavior recognition on a global scale.

A weaponized AI system intended to protect students has been grounded. Axon, which makes law-enforcement equipment such as tasers and body cameras, canceled a plan to sell remote-controlled drones capable of firing electroshock darts.

What if AI-enabled monitoring isn’t just for dictators and despots?The fear: Under the pretext of maintaining law and order, even countries founded on a commitment to individual rights allow police to take advantage of smart-city infrastructure and smart-home devices.

As governments worldwide mull their AI strategies and policies, the Biden administration called for a “bill of rights” to mitigate adverse consequences.What’s new: Top advisors to the U.S. president announced a plan to issue rules