If you’re a science fiction fan, you may be familiar with the film Minority Report. It played with a key idea: thanks to algorithms and prediction systems, criminals could be arrested before they had committed their crimes. Well, with nuances, Something similar is already happening in Japan, which could well benefit the cinema.
This is not the first time that artificial intelligence is bringing reality closer to what previously seemed limited to fantasy novels and Hollywood premieres. Although on this occasion they not only use AI for their «divinations», but they also resort to something much more classic now: social networks themselves.
AI already helps predict crimes in Japan
There is always talk of the problems that artificial intelligence brings with it: cyber attacks, increasingly sophisticated scams or massive job losses. However, not everything seems negative. In Japan, without going any further, AI is already being used to anticipate certain types of crimes. Especially in urban areas like the capital Tokyo.
The way in which the Japanese authorities act is simple: They use automated analysis tools and artificial intelligence to monitor social networks and detect suspicious patterns. With this, they are able to identify early signs of crimes that are usually organized online, such as coordinated robberies, scams or recruitment of accomplices.
They are what in Japan are known as yami baitoor «dark works.» That is, apparently innocent advertisements published on social networks that offer quick money and that, in reality, hide proposals to participate in criminal activities. Many recent thefts and frauds have had their origin in these types of publications. X (Twitter) seems like a goldmine for it.
The systems used by Japanese police analyze large volumes of public messages, looking for keywords, message structures and behaviors that match already known criminal patterns. When the system detects something unusual, human agents review the case and decide if further investigation is necessary. thoroughly and intervene.
A «science fiction» method that works
At first, this way of dealing with crime may seem a bit eccentric (the Japanese are often eccentric, you just need to look at their toilets), but the fact is that it works. Or at least that’s what they point out in publications like The Times. There they state that This practice has managed to multiply the number of arrests, often anticipating crimes.
At all times, however, they have made it clear that their intention is not to arrest someone «just in case», but to prevent possible harm. And all this taking into account that Japan is not exactly what you would call a dangerous country. Quite the contrary, its crime levels are tiny compared to many other places in the world.