"Japan to deploy eerie 'behavior detection' technology to snare criminals before they commit crime"

Japanese police will begin testing a draconian network of AI-enhanced security cameras — hoping to stop major crimes before they happen.

The pre-crime monitoring tests, reminiscent of the 2002 sci-fi film Minority Report, will intentionally avoid using the tech's 'facial recognition' capabilities, according to Japan's National Police Agency.

Instead the AI cameras will focus on machine-learning pattern recognition of three types: 'behavior detection' for suspicious activities, 'object detection' for guns and other weapons, and 'intrusion detection' for the protection of restricted areas.

Japanese police officials said they intend to launch their AI test program sometime during this fiscal year, which ends March 2024 in Japan.

While some counterterrorism experts maintain that the new AI-powered cameras will 'help to deploy police officers more efficiently' providing 'more means for vigilance,' others worry about introducing hidden algorithmic biases into police work...

Advocates say the AI's so-called 'behavior detection' machine-learning algorithm would be capable of training itself by observing the patterns of individuals deemed suspicious: activities like looking around in a repetitious and nervous fashion.