Scientists say new computer algorithms can predict crime in US cities with up to 90 percent accuracy up to a week before they happen, and they can see “pre-crime” like they do in sci-fi books and movies. minority report.
Bloomberg reports that sociologists from the University of Chicago claim to have developed a new computer algorithm that can predict crime with 90 percent accuracy a week before it happens.
According to a study published Nature Human Behavior, the algorithm first divides cities into 1,000 square feet and then detects time patterns in these paved areas to predict future events. The algorithm works well with data from major cities such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.
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The tool works differently from previous prediction models, with the possibility of focusing crime around “hot spots” that spread to nearby areas. According to the University of Chicago team, this approach often overlooks the complex social environment of cities and leaves room for bias.
Ishanu Chattopadhyay, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and senior author of the study, commented: “When people sit down and determine what patterns to look for to predict crime, it’s hard to argue without bias because those patterns aren’t so meaningless in and of themselves. But now, “If property crime increases, it’s hard to argue.” You can ask difficult algorithmic questions such as “What will be the number of violent crimes?”
Other predictive models have been found to target specific people based on a narrower spectrum of factors. In 2012, the Chicago Police Department, together with academic researchers, implemented the Crime and Victim Risk Model, which compiles a list of strategic actors or potential victims and perpetrators in gun attack incidents identified by factors such as age and arrest history.
After a long legal battle Chicago Sun Times showed that about half of those identified by the model as potential perpetrators of gun crimes had never been charged with illegal possession of firearms, and only 13% had been charged with serious crimes.
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Source: Breitbart
