What Is Predictive Policing?
Predictive Policing is the use of AI to forecast the likelihood that an individual will commit a criminal offence based on profiling or personality traits, or to forecast where and when crime is likely to occur.
Predictive Policing — the use of AI to forecast the likelihood that an individual will commit a criminal offence based on profiling or personality traits, or to forecast where and when crime is likely to occur.
The EU AI Act prohibits AI that predicts an individual's risk of committing a crime based solely on profiling or personality characteristics, reflecting the presumption of innocence. Location- or offence-based crime forecasting is not banned outright but raises fairness and feedback-loop concerns, because models trained on historical enforcement data can entrench existing biases.
Source: EU AI Act, Article 5(1)(d)
Plain-language explanation
The EU AI Act prohibits AI that predicts an individual's risk of committing a crime based solely on profiling or personality characteristics, reflecting the presumption of innocence. Location- or offence-based crime forecasting is not banned outright but raises fairness and feedback-loop concerns, because models trained on historical enforcement data can entrench existing biases.
Related terms
See where you stand on AI governance
Take the free 7-question maturity assessment and get a personalised action plan.
Free assessment — 3 minutes →