On 1 August 2024, Argentina’s President Javier Milei introduced the Artificial Intelligence Applied to Security Unit, aiming to leverage AI for predicting future crimes. The unit will use machine-learning algorithms to analyze historical crime data, employ facial recognition technology to identify “wanted persons,” and monitor social media and real-time security footage to detect suspicious activities. The government claims this approach will enhance the ability to detect potential threats, track criminal movements, and anticipate disturbances.
However, this initiative has raised significant concerns among human rights groups. Amnesty International warned that large-scale surveillance could infringe on citizens’ freedom of expression, as people may self-censor their speech due to the fear of being monitored. The Argentine Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information echoed these concerns, highlighting the potential for misuse, particularly in profiling journalists, activists, and other vulnerable groups.
Critics are especially alarmed given Argentina’s history of state repression during the 1976-83 dictatorship, where an estimated 30,000 people disappeared, and the potential for AI technologies to replicate similar oppressive tactics. The Milei administration, which has also taken a hardline stance on protests and security policy, has drawn comparisons to controversial security measures in other countries. Despite assurances from the Ministry of Security that the new AI unit will operate within the current legal framework, concerns about privacy and misuse persist, particularly regarding the broad access to personal data by security forces.
Read The Guardian’s reporting here.
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