Artificial Intelligence In Criminal Investigations: Navigating Technology Innovation And Due Process, Accountability And Human Rights
- IJLLR Journal
- Aug 13
- 2 min read
Debangana Gupta, Assistant Professor, Swami Vivekananda University
ABSTRACT
“The legitimacy of technology in justice lies not in its efficiency alone, but in its ability to preserve fairness, accountability, and human dignity.”
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology employed for conducting criminal investigations is an innovative way of handling modern day criminal justice operations. Machine learning, natural language processing, advanced pattern recognition, and predictive analysis have been deployed to enable the police departments to analyze vast amounts of information and detect patterns in criminal behavior, identify suspects, and allocate resources accordingly. Indeed, through the development of AI technologies, the criminal investigation process has been dramatically improved in terms of both speed and quality. Nevertheless, despite the immense value of AI in criminal investigations, there appear to be many important legal and ethical implications. In particular, issues of algorithmic bias, lack of transparency in automated decisions, invasion of people's privacy, and an opaque process of generating output in AI applications raise serious problems in relation to the principles of due process, equal treatment before the law, and procedural safeguards. Inappropriate use of artificial intelligence tools may result in increased levels of social inequality and decreased public trust in the operation of criminal justice.
The current paper focuses on potential opportunities and problems related to criminal investigations powered by artificial intelligence. More specifically, it highlights the importance of adopting a rights-based approach when regulating technology. From this point of view, the paper argues that the deployment of AI systems calls for collaboration among different scholars, including specialists in law and civil society representatives. In turn, constant monitoring of the results of the work of such systems, as well as attempts to provide for their responsibility, is necessary to mitigate possible negative consequences and ensure people's rights. Therefore, the following conclusion may be made – although AI has the potential to increase efficiency and consistency of criminal proceedings, its legitimacy depends on its conformity to the values of justice.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Criminal Investigation, Criminal Justice System, Predictive Policing, Machine Learning, Algorithmic Decision-Making, Digital Evidence, Law Enforcement, Due Process, Human Rights, Algorithmic Bias.
