BBC: Can AI solve crime?

Now today, Neil, we're talking all about solving crime. Do you think you'd be a good detective?

Actually, no, Beth. I think my brain's not very good with details! Today, we'll be talking about how artificial intelligence might help detectives and the police investigate crimes. But first, I have a question for you, Beth- in the UK, lots of people enjoy watching fictional detectives on TV. These programmes are called murder mysteries and tell the story of a detective solving a crime. In 2020, a magazine called the Radio Times asked readers who their favorite TV detective was. So who do you think was the most popular? Was it:

a) Sherlock Holmes   b) Hercule Poirot    or  c) Miss Marple?

Surely it's Sherlock Holmes?

Well, you sound very sure, but I will reveal the answer at the end of the programme. Now, when the police are investigating crimes in the real world, their techniques are often quite different from what we see on television. 

Yes. Solving crimes involves collecting and reviewing lots of evidence, like DNA, fingerpritnts, or CCTV.

All of this work takes a lot of time. So, can AI help police speed up the work and even solve crimes? That's the question listener Alastair had for BBC Radio 4 programm The Artificial Human. And host Aleks Krotoski wanted to know more...

So, Alastair, why are you asking this question? Tell us a little bit more about yourself and where you're coming from?

So, my name's Alastair and I'm a serving police office. My background is with investigation. I'm looking at artificial intelligence and thinking. " What can it do for me?"

Alex asks Alastair to explain where he's coming from. This means explain his perspective or point of view. In informal English, we'll often ask someone, "Do you get where I'm coming from?" And we're asking whether they understand our opinion or perspective. 

Alastair explains that he's interested in how artificial intelligence could help solve cirmes, because he's a police officer with a background in investigations. If you have a backgrouind in something, it means most of your previous work or experience was related to something. For example, I work as a producer at BBC Learning English now, making programmes, but my background si in classroom teaching. 

Alastair talks about using artificial intelligence for training and asks, " What can it do for me?" This means, "How can artificial intelligence help or improve something?"

When a cirme happens, police officers have to collect and review a lot of information to find evidence. When you have a lot of information to review, it can be difficult to know what's important and find patterns which might be relevant to the crime. 

But Professor Ruth Morgan, an expert in crime and forensic science, thinks AI could hlep speed up police work, as she told BBC Radio 4's The Artificial Human. 

I think we're seeing a renaissance in the pattern-recognition forms of evidence, so finger marks, footwear marks. There's been  lots of challenges with those forms of evidence over the last ten years, probably going a little bit out of favor. And yet what we're begining to see now with AI is that you can take a photo of a mark with your phone, compare that mark to the database and get real-time insight. 

Ruth says that there is a renaissance in looking at patterns in evidence, such as finger marks or footwear marks. Renaissance means new interest or activity in a particular topic or area.