PROBabLE Futures: Probabilistic AI Systems in Law Enforcement

This impact can be looked at in twofold: internally, it will help relevant stakeholders connect the dots across stages of criminal justice; externally, it will build trust and accountability by making AI use visible to the public and oversight bodies.”

In due course, our framework will be an essential resource for law enforcement officials, policymakers, regulators, academics, and civil society.

Mapping these tools to the eight stages of the justice process allows us to see where they are being deployed and what kinds of decisions they influence, thereby bringing clarify to a fragmented landscape.

Temitope Lawal provided this takeaway message from the UK AI Research Symposium in Newcastle “Probabilistic AI tools are already present across several stages of the criminal justice system in England and Wales, from community policing to probation.

(research.northumbria.ac.uk/probablefutu...) at the first UK AI Research Symposium in Newcastle. Grateful for the very engaged audience and the interesting discussions!

Yesterday, our Probable Futures team members, Evdoxia Taka, Temitope Lawal, Michele Sevegnani and Marion Oswald organized a panel discussion and presented part of the project's work on the topic "Probabilistic AI in Criminal Justice: Mapping the Ecosystem and Scoping for the Future"

Northumbria University to host landmark UK AI Research Symposium Northumbria University has been selected to host the inaugural UK AI Research Symposium (UKAIRS) – the first event to bring together researchers from a wide variety of academic disciplines all working...

Looking forward to day two of the UK AI Research Symposium hashtag#UKAIRS2025, hosted here at Northumbria: @ukri.org www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/new...

PhD in Computing Science - Responsible Usage of LLM-Based Tooling in High-Stakes Decision-Making at University of Glasgow on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - PhD in Computing Science - Responsible Usage of LLM-Based Tooling in High-Stakes Decision-Making at University of Glasgow, listed on FindAPhD.com

💡 Tackle challenges like hallucinations, trust, and ethical AI deployment.

🔗 findaphd.com/phds/project/phd-in-computing-science-responsible-usage-of-llm-based-tooling-in-high-stakes-decision-making/?p186487

#PhD #LLM #ResponsibleAI #ComputingScience #AcademicOpportunities

🎓 New PhD opportunity at @UofGlasgow!

Explore the responsible use of LLMs in high-stakes decision-making—think law enforcement, policy, and more. Fully funded, starting Nov 2025.

This is just the start of a crucial conversation.
Let’s build a justice system where innovation serves rights—not replaces them.
#ResponsibleAI #LegalTech #StopAndSearch #Justice #AIethics #Policing #SpeculativeDesign #HumanRights #TechPolicy #AIandLaw

With insights from legal scholars, civil society, and policing practitioners, we’re working toward a toolkit + policy guidance to help ensure AI is used responsibly, ethically, and legally—not just after things go wrong, but before deployment even begins.

💡 Our takeaway: The growing use of AI in police evidence processing demands clear standards for auditing and handling—to protect fairness and reliability across the criminal justice system.

Key questions we are exploring:
- Can AI-supported suspicion meet legal standards?
- What safeguards are needed before deployment?
- How do we ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability?

At the Business and Law Research Conference (30 June–1 July), our PhD researchers (maybe names if they are happy with it) explored these complex tensions through a Legal + HCI lens—using speculative design to start a critical debate about the role of AI in policing.

Can AI ever truly understand suspicion?
As AI tools increasingly shape how police forces operate—particularly in Stop & Search—the stakes are high. Whose judgement are we trusting? Who is accountable when algorithms misjudge? And how do we challenge AI-generated suspicion in court?

'AI, the Evolution and Responses to Crime': Read our latest blog article written by Dr. Temitope Lawal and Katherine Jones which focuses on criminal innovation, mapping technology in policing, and the need for regulatory reform tinyurl.com/249curv5

Prof Marion Oswald expertly chairing the discussion panel Q&A. Broad representation, fascinating insights.

Getting ready for the launch of the Northumbria Centre for Responsible AI this morning #AInorthumbria @northumbriauni.bsky.social @probablefutures.bsky.social

Northumbria Centre for Responsible AI launches today. The breadth and depth of content in the posters showcasing all of the linked and highly relevant AI research taking place across the University campus is a truly great thing to be part of!

Police use of AI more responsible with an independent data ethics advisory committee Groundbreaking research led by Northumbria University has revealed how the use of an independent Data Ethics Advisory Committee by West Midlands Police has...

Study identifies attitudes towards personal data processing for national security. Revealing how the use of an independent Data Ethics Advisory Committee by West Midlands Police has transformed the understanding of how to achieve responsible Ai in policing. Read More: tinyurl.com/bddxkfsc

Details of the upcoming Artificial Intelligence Trustworthiness and Risk Assessment Scientific Seminar Series (ATRASS) being coordinated by RAi UK. Register via this link rai.ac.uk/atrass-series/

Submissions open for the UKAIRS Research Symposium

Deadline: 30.04.25

UKAIRS welcomes different disciplines unified by the goal of shaping the UK’s research priorities, identifying cross-fertilisation opportunities & informing the narrative of the challenges to delivering AI that benefits society

Continuing the Australian theme, last week we welcomed the esteemed Chief Judge Brian Preston to Northumbria. As the Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales Australia. We had the pleasure of listening to his seminar & speak 1:1 about research intersections in Ai & Technology

Exploring the Intersection of Technology and Law Enforcement Dr. Angela Paul, a Research Fellow on the PROBabLE Futures project at Northumbria University, UK, recently visited Monash Law.

Dr Angela Paul recently touched back down in the UK to re-join the PROBabLE Futures team based @northumbriauni.bsky.social following her research visit to the Faculty of Law at Monash University, Australia. Read about her visit & insights 'Exploring the Intersection of Technology & Law Enforcement'

Deadline Extended!

The deadline has been extended for our CIS Research Fellow Role @northumbriauni.bsky.social

Please apply before 27/03/2025, 23:59

It was a pleasure to deliver an engaging workshop in collaboration with CETaS (the Centre for Emerging Technology and Security) this week at the The Alan Turing Institute inside of the
@britishlibrary.bsky.social. Thank you to the speakers and audience for making it so informative and insightful!

Great event today with the @probablefutures.bsky.social team presenting some great work from our project, but also some great #AI future horizon scanning. Amazing work going on!

We are a growing inter-disciplinary research group and are looking to recruit a full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Computer and Information Sciences based at Northumbria University in Newcastle, UK. Find out more about the role and how to apply here: tinyurl.com/35enbdrf closing on 20/03/2025

Thank you to those who attended our first online event 'AI for intelligence, investigations and public protection' earlier in 2025. It was amazing to see such a diverse array of attendance and interest in our research. Read our follow-up Blogpost which captures the key topics tinyurl.com/yk52ycwy

Importance of ‘Responsibility’. Attention must be paid to the chaining of systems and cumulative effects of AI systems feeding each other. We are reviewing, questioning & evaluating the use & applications of probabilistic AI across different stages of law enforcement & the criminal justice system.