Avon and Somerset Police are trialling the use of investigative artificial intelligence (AI) to review evidence in complex cases. After an evaluation found the technology can review material at a much faster rate than humans, the force is now set to run a more comprehensive trial to further test and develop the project for use in UK policing.
Söze, a tool originally developed in Australia and never used before in the UK, can identify potential avenues of investigation quickly, innovatively, and more extensively than manual processes. It uses computer vision, face search, speech-to-text and language translation to surface evidence that might not have been possible to find usual manual methods.
An evaluation of the benefits of Söze showed it was able to review the evidential material in 27 complex cases in just 30 hours. It is estimated that the same review would have taken a human up to 81 years.
Use of the AI tool remains in the trial phase and the first trial focused on previous cases. The second trial is yet to begin.