Michael

Wealthier neighborhoods may see better service while underserved communities may face over surveillance without the same benefits.

Exactly.

Efficiency can't come at the cost of equity.

Now let's talk about something a little more controversial.

AI and policing.

And it's not just facial recognition.

License plate readers, audio surveillance, predictive algorithms, all of them are being quietly deployed in major cities.

But here's the issue.

If the data is biased, the predictions will be too.

More patrols in certain neighborhoods can lead to more arrests, even if crime rates haven't actually increased.

There's almost no public input.

These technologies are adopted before citizens even know they exist.

And additionally, advocacy groups like the ACLU and Algorithmic Justice League are pushing for stronger regulations and algorithmic transparency.

And now let's shift gears to something more administrative, government services.

That can make things faster and more efficient.

Fewer lines, quicker approvals, but automation also risks removing the human touch and thought from systems that affect people's lives.

In the Netherlands, a welfare fraud detection system was found to disproportionately target minority communities, and it was eventually ruled discriminatory by a Dutch court.

One promising idea, AI...

upwards people, independent agencies that oversee government algorithms, just like courts oversee laws.

The EU recently passed the AI Act, one of the most comprehensive attempts to regulate AI by risk level.