Remember the doomsday conspiracies where robots with artificial intelligence would take over planet earth and drive humans away? In some cases, these imaginary machines would force humans into servitude as a method of revenge.
In reality, we are not yet close to machine superiority. But artificial intelligence (AI) is doing a great job of making human life easier.
Objective AI can provide assistance in a variety of disciplines, including healthcare and crime.
Now it turns out that AI (under most conditions) is a better crime expert than humans.
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As humans, we have our prejudices and inherent flaws.
Sure, we can work on these issues to become the ideal objective human, but even then, AIs rule in the first place. AI has been found to be better at assessing footprints than general forensic scientists.
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Prints of any kind are considered sacrosanct at a crime scene, particularly in the case of gruesome murders and high-profile burglaries.
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Footprints and some prints that may carry a suspect’s DNA are considered prime candidates to aid in finding a suspect when a heinous crime has occurred.
The footprints contain extensive information about the person, including their height, weight, and in some cases even their gender.
The AI did a better job (in most cases).
Recent twin studies by The Conversation shed light on how AI better understands the perpetrator of a crime.
When presenting a footprint, only 50 percent of the podiatrists gave the correct answer, while the AI correctly guessed the person’s gender 90 percent of the time.
In addition, the AI was able to assign an age to the next decade to the individual. That’s not all.
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Taking things a step further, The Conversation partnered with Bluestar Software to develop another AI where the software was able to successfully predict the brand and model of shoes based on impressions.
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They also gave away 100 shoes to occasional users who correctly assessed their physique between 22 and 83 percent. The AI was between 60 and 91 percent successful. Will shoe experts soon be unemployed? The answer is no, because they got the right answer almost 100 percent of the time.
In the second case, the AI was unable to account for wear and tear, giving shoe experts an advantage. Given the complexity of our time and the evolution of crime, it seems that AI will play a bigger role in almost every industry, including crime.
Are you on board the use of artificial intelligence to assist in solving crimes, are you old school like Sherlock Holmes? Let us know in the comments.
