Artificial intelligence (AI) is billed as the next big thing for ensuring cities are safe against crime and terrorists, even as nations embark on smart city projects to improve urban living.
“AI can predict the probability of crime in a location by detecting anomalies and faces,” said Dr Simon See, director of US-based computing firm Nvidia’s AI Technology Centre in Singapore. Though, “Predicting (actual) crime is not possible yet,” Dr See added.
However, law enforcement will not be the only user of AI. “Hackers will also use AI to develop malware that morphs and changes along the way – that is the scary part,” said Dr See.
That is why the Singapore Government is stepping up investments in AI to better counter cyber threats. As much as $528 million, or 22 per cent, of Singapore’s technology budget this year has been set aside for security – the most ever.
“But crowdsourcing intelligence from real people must not be ignored either,” said Mr Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman, a research fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s Homeland Defence Programme at the Centre of Excellence for National Security.
“The other ‘sensors’ are people,” he said, citing the SGSecure mobile app that enables citizens to be more involved. Launched last September, it lets people report suspicious incidents or objects.
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Source: The Straits Times, 3 June 2017