Online Community Helps Nab Thief Using AI in Philippines

After healthcare, agriculture, and a host of other sectors, the real use cases of generative AI tools have started to emerge in law enforcement. In one such instance the online community came together to help catch a thief. During a music festival in Bacolod City in the Philippines, a man stole a bag from two children who were performing on stage. The incident was captured on a CCTV camera located at the venue. The stolen bag contained two smartphones, a wallet with money, important documents, etc.

Seeking assistance, the children posted a video of the theft on social media asking users to help identify the thief. The online community responded by leveraging the capability of artificial intelligence technology to enhance the image of the thief, making it clearer and more identifiable. The improved image was then shared with the children. The children, in turn, provided the enhanced photo to the local police authorities to aid in the investigation. Thanks to the collaboration between social media users and the police, the stolen bag was successfully recovered. However, one of the cellphones that were inside the bag was still missing.

Although the identity of the suspect has been established, they remain at large. The incident highlights the power of AI and online communities in assisting law enforcement and solving crimes. The proactive engagement of the Filipino internet users and their use of AI technology played a crucial role in restoring the image and aiding the investigation.

AI has been used in law enforcement for quite a long time now. It is used for facial recognition and has been paired with genetic genealogy databases to solve cold cases. Machine learning algorithms are also being used today by the police and investigative agencies to analyse crime data from a specific geographical area, such as a city or neighborhood, to identify crime hotspots and predict future crimes. However, predictive policing is controversial and has been subject to scrutiny. 

What about India

In India, facial recognition systems which use artificial intelligence have increased multifold. Recently, Bangalore Police completed the installation of 4000 CCTVs equipped with facial recognition technology. According to data from the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), Indian authorities have implemented 126 facial recognition technology systems (FRTs) across the country, with an initial expenditure of INR 1,499.41 crore.

Among the states using FRT systems, Maharashtra and Delhi have the highest number of installations, while other states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have deployed three, five, and two systems respectively.