AI for Cops: Perplexity Offers Free Tech

Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has launched a new initiative to provide its technology to public safety professionals, offering one free year of its Enterprise Pro tier for up to 200 seats. The program aims to assist officers with real-time decision-making and automate routine tasks such as describing crime scene photos and analyzing transcripts.

However, experts express concerns that even minor AI errors or biases could have severe implications in law enforcement. While Perplexity states it focuses on minimizing hallucination by post-training models from developers like OpenAI, recent studies indicate AI chatbots still frequently generate inaccurate responses.

The question of accountability for responsible AI use in policing is a critical point of discussion. Some advocate for policymakers to establish clear legal frameworks, while others emphasize that officers must use these tools cautiously, recognizing the inherent risks until truly error-free AI becomes a reality.

This move by Perplexity follows a trend of law enforcement agencies adopting new technologies, including predictive policing and facial recognition. It is anticipated that other AI developers may follow suit, expanding their reach into the public safety sector.