Police using AI risks making discrimination worse, researchers warn

In his award-winning essay, young British science writer Adrian Dredge wrote about the potential pitfalls of AI and policing.

The essay won the 2026 Young Science Writer Award, chosen each year by the Association of British Science Writers. Here is an edited version of the entry.

The growing use of AI in policing risks increasing discrimination against minority groups, researchers have warned.

Studies suggest that predictions of future crime hotspots may be based on biased data, which can magnify existing prejudice and create a dangerous feedback loop.

Experts are calling for the use of AI in policing to be reviewed with greater human oversight.

This would involve checking the data that forces use to find and remove any bias, according to Dr Carolyn McKay, an associate professor and researcher in digital justice at the University of Sydney Law School.

"The public functions of state policing ought to be subject to human oversight and scrutiny," she says.

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