Police Scotland have been undertaking a proof of concept AI trial focused on ‘corporate efficiencies’ – using Microsoft Copilot in a drive to improve the retrieval of information.
The force has been using Microsoft Copilot in a small-scale trial since October but stressed that the platform has not been used for operational policing.
The experiment has involved a ‘limited’ number of police officers and staff across the organisation having access to the product, and involved corporate processes such as improving the retrieval of information across existing HR policies.
Workshops and online sessions have also been provided to those involved in the project for ‘further awareness’ and information about the platform.
The force said it has ‘developed appropriate user guidance and policies for police officers and staff to support them to avoid any data breaches or security incidents’.
The trial has been carried out in line with the force’s ‘rights-based pathway’, which was developed following concern from privacy campaigners about so-called ‘cyber kiosks‘, used to download data from suspects’ devices in police investigations.
Futurescot obtained details of the trial following revelations about the use of Copilot by West Midlands Police to gather intelligence which led to a decision by a local ‘safety advisory group’ to ban fans from Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a fixture at Villa Park in Birmingham in November.
However, unlike Police Scotland’s use of the technology, that instance was in relation to an operational policing matter.
It also emerged that the AI tool generated a ‘hallucination’, which led to the inclusion of false intelligence by West Midlands Police. Craig Guildford, WMP chief constable, told the home affairs select committee on Monday that the inclusion of a fictitious match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham in police intelligence “arose as a result of a use of Microsoft Copilot”. He offered a “profound apology” for the error.
It is not yet known when Police Scotland’s trial of the technology will come to an end, and whether the force has plans to adopt AI as part of its technology function in the future. However the force has been involved in ‘national conversation‘ about the potential introduction of AI-enabled live facial recognition technology.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell has also spoken of her keenness to see AI used by the force. She has previously signalled a willingness to explore the use of AI, by balancing the harms and safety considerations, drawing upon the example of how the technology had been used successfully in the NHS.
That message was reinforced in October when Deputy chief constable Bex Smith outlined how Police Scotland is moving into a new era of intelligence led policing – to better “anticipate” where crimes are “likely to occur”, based on in-depth data analytics and AI-enabled predictive modelling.
Smith said at Futurescot’s Digital Justice & Policing conference: “Our business plan sets out our intention to develop capabilities surrounding data science, artificial intelligence and analytics.”
Harry Schone, data science and AI lead at Police Scotland, also highlighted some of the challenges and opportunities for AI in policing at the event.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Since October, we have been undertaking a small-scale proof-of-concept trial of Copilot, which has involved a limited number of police officers and staff from across the organisation having access to the product.
“The trial does not involve any operational policing processes, and instead focuses on efficiencies in corporate processes, such as improving the retrieval of information across existing HR policies.
“We also recognise the ethical and human rights concerns which exist around the introduction of some new technologies and we will continue to be responsible and transparent about how these are considered and implemented.”
The spokesperson said: “We have a process, known as the Rights-based Pathway, to support our assessment of new technologies, which involves extensive consultation and engagement.
“This puts Police Scotland in a strong place of fulfilling our statutory duty to keep people safe, while equally ensuring that we balance the ethical and human rights considerations which arise in policing in a digital world.”
The Scottish Conservatives said the pilot should ensure ‘robust measures’ are in place to avoid AI resulting in informational error.
Shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said: “Our police force need all the support they can get following years of savage SNP cuts to their budget.
“However, the public will be keen to know that robust measures have been put in place to avoid artificial intelligence resulting in wrong information being shared or decisions being taken without proper scrutiny.
“Technology will undoubtedly play an ever-growing role in our public services, but this cannot come at the expense of a proper policing presence in our communities or undermine public safety.”
