Police officer at centre of criminal probe into 'use of AI to create evidence' in first-known UK case

Police officer at centre of criminal probe into 'use of AI to create evidence' in first-known UK case The first known case of its kind in UK criminal justice has seen the officer removed from frontline duties while the Crown Prosecution Service engages with defence lawyers and the courts over affected cases A police officer is being investigated over the alleged illegal use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create evidence in a string of criminal cases. The probe, the first known case of its kind in UK criminal justice, has seen the cop removed from frontline duties and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was “engaging with” defence lawyers and the courts over affected cases. Derbyshire Police did not name the officer concerned, their role, or reveal the specific details of the suspected misconduct. It didn't disclose how many cases may have been tainted or if they resulted in individuals being convicted and jailed. The officer is being investigated over allegations of perverting the course of justice, a charge that has a maximum sentence of life. It comes after Alex Murray, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for AI, said it had told a number of forces to stop using the technology when preparing material for court and other tasks, because they might not be reliable enough. Derbyshire Police said: “A criminal investigation has been launched into an allegation of perverting the course of justice after the alleged use of AI systems by an officer to create evidential material in a number of cases. The force is working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to any potentially impacted cases.” It added that the investigation was “in its early stages”, so no further details were available. “The officer involved has been removed from frontline duties, pending the outcome of the investigation. No arrests have been made.” It declined to elaborate on what the evidential material consisted of. The term can be used to describe witness statements. The CPS said: “We are working with Derbyshire Police as it conducts enquiries into the alleged use of Artificial Intelligence by an officer. We are engaging with defence teams and the courts in appropriate cases.” AI misuse earlier this year contributed to the decision of West Midlands chief constable Craig Guildford to retire early. It came after home secretary Shabana Mahmood said she had lost confidence in him over his force’s handling of the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from an Aston Villa match. The force’s evidence supporting the ban included references to trouble at a previous game against West Ham United that had been invented by Microsoft’s Copilot AI program.