Monash Uni, AFP launch AI research lab

Monash University and the Australian Federal Police have established a joint research centre aimed at using AI to develop technology-based initiatives for law enforcement.

The AI for Law Enforcement and Community Safety (AiLECS) Lab within the Monash Faculty of Information Technology will explore harnessing machine learning, natural language processing, network analysis and other techniques to support law enforcement in a range of domains.

These include countering child abuse material, detecting and classifying illegal firearms, recognising misinformation and analysing large online criminal networks.

AiLECS started as a research lab in 2019 and has since launched several projects to improve community safety and support law enforcement. The new expanded research centre will build on this work and incorporate feedback from representatives of the AFP and other law enforcement experts.

The centre’s co-director Associate Professor Campbell Wilson said emerging technologies such as AI have equal potential to be used for deviance or social good.

“We are currently witnessing the age of AI, we have already seen how newer technologies are being misused, leading to increased cyber attacks, identity theft, exploitation and misinformation,” he said.

“While building AI support systems we are focused on ensuring the datasets used to train our algorithms are ethically sourced because it is important to ensure AI used for the greater good is also produced responsibly.”

Example projects include using photogrammetry and 3D scanning to construct a digital library of firearms, which will support the development of next-generation tools for combating firearms trafficking.

The AFP is helping to fund the centre through the Commonwealth Confiscated Assets Account.

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