How AI can lead to false arrests and wrongful convictions

Danger arises when law enforcement believes that AI models are retrieving certainties rather than generating likelihoods.

By: Maria Lungu, University of Virginia and Steven L. Johnson, University of Virginia, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: May 11, 2026

Words: 1,514

Last Updated: 2 months, 2 weeks ago

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By Maria Lungu, University of Virginia and Steven L. Johnson, University of Virginia

In Baltimore on Oct. 20, 2025, a 17-year-old student named Taki Allen was sitting outside his high school after football practice when an artificial intelligence-enhanced surveillance camera falsely identified the Doritos bag in his pocket as a gun. Within moments police cars arrived, officers drew their weapons and Allen was forced to his knees and handcuffed while they searched him. All they …

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