AI Law and Order
Artificial Intelligence, AI, is such the “in” thing now. You just can’t get away from it. AI art, AI music, AI writing. It is everywhere. And let’s not forget about Robots, Terminators, and Sex Dolls who can whisper sweet nothings into your ear. How delightful the world is becoming! And it’s all for fun and entertainment, isn’t it? Yeah, right.
Of course, what we, the peons, are told and exposed to starts out as fun and entertainment. Smartphones to play games on and sort out all sorts of fun things, ChatGPT to write our homework for us, and automatic cars that will come and pick us up after we go shopping or have a meal, to name only three of the myriad ways robotics and AI are coming into our lives However, nothing has come along yet that is anything at all like the Terminator robot. Those types are just in the movies. Yeah, right.
We are not as cognizant of the thousands of things AI is a part of in our everyday life. Robots have been building our cars and such for quite some time. Although we know about these things, we are not fully conscious of the manner in which they are taking over the world. We suspect it, but we are just now becoming more aware.
And if we listen to Elon Musk and those like him, we are being adequately warned.
AI is not just a computer program, or some metal contraption welding on car bumpers, it’s a lot more than that these days. Its current brilliance is that it can second-guess us—apparently it can actually “think.” It has a “mind of its own” and is designed to make humans irrelevant, not just in the hard labor force, but everywhere.
Sure, sure, sure, we are told that just isn’t the case—that it isn’t as bad as all that. We are told AI is a tool, something we all can benefit from. The carrot is being dangled in all of its wonder and brilliance. I am certain the stick will be just as wonderful and equally brilliant—and ultimately deadly
We may not reach a point where robots actually take over with the intent of destroying all of the “flawed and useless” humans. That is a common Science Fiction theme. I don’t think it has to come to that (but it certainly may).
What I do believe it will come to, and quite soon at that, is the death of humanity The broad stroke will be the elimination of what makes us human, and more than likely, few of us will even notice. The ones who do notice will go underground (maybe quite literally ala The Matrix or Robocop). And then start the whole human nonsense over again. Well, maybe the second time around (or the 3rd? or 4th?) will not be “nonsense”—let’s hope we learn from our mistakes.
So, most that we, as consumers, are aware of is the fun and entertaining part of AI, or the boring and “who cares” areas that takes over laborer’s jobs. What about AI and robotics showing up in areas that are not “fun and entertainment?” How about in law enforcement and the military? Clearly, it is making its debut in these places as well. And when it has reached its zenith here, it isn’t going to be pretty.
Everyone, I think, is familiar with the robot dog being developed by the police. This robot is presently assigned rather benign duties—patrols in parks, bomb disposal, and surveillance and reconnaissance. But there are plans to arm them and use them for more “paws on” situations. The police also use other robotics for various things such as aerial surveillance, negotiations in hostage situations, and even giving out traffic tickets.
Getting back to arming Police Fido, they have already implemented some robodogs with tear gas, tasers, and nets. A special Chinese police dog (well, not really a “dog”) is currently rolling through the streets of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province. This thing is being used to even chase down suspects, reaching a speed of 22 miles per hour. Not as cute as a dog by any means, but apparently just as, if not more, effective.
On the law prosecution and defense front, I just read about some lawyer in British Columbia being called on the carpet for using ChatGPT to generate “made up” court cases. They apparently used this false information in court on a high-profile family dispute. The lawyer claimed she was not intentionally trying to deceive, but was found liable anyway.
Although using AI in legal proceedings is not yet a “thing to do,” I can see the writing on the wall pretty clearly. Robots used in law enforcement is a no-brainer, but using robots, or other forms of AI, in court proceedings is in its infancy. But mark my words, it will be developed to do anything a human is currently doing.
Who wouldn’t want to have an AI-equipped robot lawyer which will have in its programming every court precedent known to man and will be able to utilize impersonal logic in its argument? A jury of robots is also a given—talk about the impartial judgement of the presented facts. Oh whoopie! What a time we will all soon have! Most criminals won’t even get to court; they will be mowed down by Rover out in the field while committing the crime—no need for a trial considering the righteous accuracy and computer discernment of Robocops.
The military is not even worth quibbling about.
They are designed to kill the enemy, so any way they can do that without causing too much casualty on the “good” side, then what the hell, bring ‘em on. Military conflicts have already lost all ethical considerations (how can killing people ever be ethical?) with drone warfare—sitting in Maryland pressing buttons to kill people in Pakistan (or anywhere else for that matter)—then why not have robots and other remote devices out in the field doing the genocide for us?
Am I making too much of this? I mean criminals are criminals, aren’t they? Shouldn’t they be apprehended in the most efficient and safe way possible? (Safe to human police officers.) The military is in the business of killing the enemy, primarily so the enemy doesn’t kill us. Isn’t any way we do this effectively and efficiently a plus?
I don’t think so. Militarizing the police in any situation leads to bad things. Look at this historically. A militarized police force does not typically mitigate crime, but instead facilitates the policing and controlling of ordinary, innocent, citizens. Police forces are instruments of those in power, generally local and federal governments. If we can trust them, then we can trust the police to do what they do, for us, their employers. But since when can we trust governments? We never have been able to, and we never should. If they get too much power, that power will ultimately be used against us. We are seeing this clearly around the world today.
Robofido is not a good idea. Nor is it a good idea for AI and robotics to become an integral part of policing or enforcing the law. AI and robotics have no place in the court system where guilt or innocence is decided.
Yes, we may be a long way from AI making its mark in the judicial system, but its beginnings are there, and we must continue to be aware of its progress.
AI, as we see its implementation today, is a scourge. How we will effectively and ethically deal with this, I don’t know. But deal with it we must, before it is too late. As cliche as that sounds, we must not let this pass us by without serious action.
