Rise of AI presents dual challenges on security front

BEIJING: While police use of artificial intelligence is achieving impressive results in analyzing data and solving cases, the frontier technology is also being used to commit new crimes and is presenting fresh challenges for actual police officers.
In October, the Kunshan public security bureau in Jiangsu province said its AI team had played a crucial role in the detection and prevention of crimes, as the cutting-edge technology is able to promptly recognize suspicious activities and issue warnings.
The bureau highlighted the remarkable role of AI in combating telecom fraud, revealing one case earlier this year in which its AI team helped a local who had been cheated out of 980,000 yuan ($135,300).
The victim’s statement was transmitted to the AI team’s analysis center. Within 10 minutes, they had traced the flow of funds, successfully halting the transfer of 500,000 yuan and leading to the capture of nine suspects.
In Kunming, Yunnan province, however, police officers recently prevented an attempted scam in which the suspect used AI face-sweeping software to pretend he was a close friend of a local woman surnamed Wang. The suspect was planning to lure her to Guangdong province to deliver gold bars worth more than 300,000 yuan under the pretext of an emergency, according to a Guangming Daily report. “The cases tell us that the safety of AI is as important as its development and application, which needs greater attention from all walks of life and stronger oversight to prevent the misuse and abuse of the technology,” said Zheng Ning, head of the Law Department at the Communication University of China’s Cultural Industries Management School. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item