Tech bosses take AI to prisons as 'alarmingly dystopian' idea proposes chip implantation in criminals

Top tech bosses are now taking AI to the jails, and say that it can be used to predict the risk posed by certain individuals. At a "roundtable" event with the UK Prisons Minister Lord Timpson, representatives from tech firms proposed inserting microchips under the skin of criminals to monitor their movements. They also put forward the idea of driverless prison vans and robot-run jails. Executives from over 30 companies, including Amazon, Google and Microsoft, sat down with Timpson last year. However, the details are being revealed only now. The minister said at the meeting, “I want technology to play an integral role in tackling crime and making our streets safer." Foxglove, a group that exposed the abuse of tech by governments and companies, filed a Freedom of Information request to learn about what transpired at the gathering.

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Talking to prison newspaper Inside Time, the group described the proposals as “alarmingly dystopian”. It added, “It's worrying that justice ministers have sat with the tech sector to discuss using robots to manage prisoners, implanting devices under people's skin to track their behaviour, or using computers to 'predict' what they will do in future.” At the time, the Ministry of Justice stated that the discussions would revolve around the “potential for even more effective tracking of offender movement,” among other things. According to Daily Mail, the then-Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood said, “We need bold ideas to address the challenges that we face – supporting our staff, delivering swifter justice for victims, and cutting crime.”

Early release of prisoners under new program

As part of Labour's soft justice program, data from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) showed that 60,108 offenders were let out of prison in the first 16 months. The scheme was launched by Shabana Mahmood, under which criminals can be freed after serving just 40 per cent of the sentence handed down by a court. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said the early release was a “political choice by a government too weak to build the prison places the country needs”.