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AI and Community Safety: Speculations on prospective risks and challenges – Safer Communities Scotland
Since the launch of the first publicly available Large Language Model tool in 2022, the so-called ‘AI’ boom has only intensified. Despite the sustained hype around the transformative possibilities and efficiencies promised, there remains some debate about the truly revolutionary nature of generative AI tools, at least in their current form. Nevertheless, there are some indications that AI tools like large language models, image and video generators, may have important consequences for community safety in the future. Like the internet before it, albeit more humble, there are some obvious ways AI tools may enable malicious actors to pursue criminal activity more effectively, incite public disorder, and/or undermine the legitimacy of public institutions like the government or the police. Below, I discuss two areas in which we already have some examples of AI use and consider how these might impact local communities and organisations that serve them.
