By Dr. Satyajit Naik, IPS
Inspector General of Police, Central Range, Odisha
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer confined to laboratories or science-fiction films. It has become part of everyday life through smartphones, search engines, digital payments, social media, online shopping and navigation systems. For policing, AI presents both an opportunity and a challenge. It can help prevent and detect crime, analyse information and improve public safety, while the same technology can be misused by criminals for fraud, impersonation and manipulation.
AI as a policing tool
Police organisations handle enormous volumes of information, including complaints, crime records, CCTV footage, emergency calls, forensic material, traffic data and missing-person reports. AI-based tools can assist trained personnel in analysing such information, identifying patterns and processing large datasets more efficiently.
AI can support crime analysis, digital investigations, financial-fraud detection, traffic management, emergency response, disaster management and missing-person investigations. Intelligent CCTV analytics can assist in identifying incidents and improving response, subject to applicable law, safeguards and human oversight.
However, AI should remain a tool to assist police officers, not a replacement for human judgment. Investigation, decision-making and enforcement must remain the responsibility of trained professionals operating within the law.
When criminals use AI
The same technology can be exploited by criminals. AI-enabled impersonation is an emerging concern. Fraudsters can potentially use photographs, videos and voice samples available online to create convincing fake audio or video. A victim may receive a call or video communication apparently showing a relative, colleague or other familiar person and be pressured into making an urgent payment.
AI-generated text can also make fraudulent emails and messages appear convincing and professional. Manipulated photographs, videos and audio, commonly described as deepfakes, can be used to spread misinformation, damage reputations or facilitate fraud and extortion.
The lesson is simple: seeing is no longer always believing, and hearing is no longer always verification.
Stop, verify, then act
Citizens can reduce the risk of AI-enabled fraud by following three basic steps: Stop. Verify. Act.
First, do not act under pressure. Fraudsters often create fear and urgency by claiming that a relative is in trouble, an account will be blocked or immediate payment is required.
Second, verify independently. If a suspicious call or video appears to come from someone known to you, disconnect and contact that person through a previously known number. Financial requests should be verified through official channels.
Third, act only after verification. Never transfer money simply because someone appears familiar on a video call or sounds like a person you know.
Protect your credentials
Technology may change, but the basic rules of cyber safety remain important. OTP, PIN, passwords and banking credentials should never be shared with unknown persons.
Citizens should avoid clicking suspicious links, installing applications at the request of strangers, sharing their screens with unknown persons or allowing remote access to devices without understanding why it is required.
Cybersecurity is therefore not only about sophisticated technology. It is also about human behaviour. Criminals often succeed by manipulating people rather than breaking into complex systems.
Think before sharing
The information people share online can also be exploited. Citizens should be careful about publicly posting photographs, family details, travel plans, telephone numbers, workplace information and identity documents.
Parents and teachers should guide children and young people in responsible use of social media and AI tools. Young users should understand that photographs and videos shared online can be copied, retained or manipulated long after they are posted.
Digital footprints can have consequences.
AI can be valuable for education and creativity, but children should be encouraged to protect personal information, avoid unsafe online contacts, report suspicious or inappropriate content and understand that AI-generated information may not always be accurate.
They should also never use AI to create or circulate harmful, humiliating or deceptive material and should seek help from trusted adults or appropriate authorities when facing online threats or exploitation.
Do not become a distributor of misinformation
A manipulated photograph, video or audio clip can reach thousands of people within minutes. Forwarding unverified material can unintentionally contribute to misinformation, reputational harm, communal tension or public disorder.
Before forwarding sensational content, citizens should ask: Who created it? Where did it originate? Has it been independently verified?
If the answers are unclear, the safest course is not to forward it.
Responsible digital citizenship means not only avoiding misinformation but also refusing to become a channel for its spread.
Policing must evolve
As technology changes, policing must evolve with it. Police organisations need stronger cybercrime investigation, digital forensics, intelligence analysis, specialised training and inter-agency coordination.
Officers must understand emerging technologies well enough to investigate their misuse while respecting legal safeguards and individual rights. AI-assisted policing should operate within the principles of law, due process, privacy, accountability and human oversight.
Technology should strengthen public trust in policing, not weaken it.
The police officer of the future will increasingly require both traditional investigative skills and technological competence. Human judgment will remain central, even as investigators deal more frequently with digital evidence, AI-generated content, online financial fraud and emerging forms of cybercrime.
Police and citizens as partners
Technology alone cannot defeat technology-enabled crime. Effective prevention requires cooperation among police, citizens, financial institutions, technology companies, educational institutions and the wider community.
Citizens should report cybercrime promptly rather than remaining silent because of embarrassment or fear. In financial-fraud cases, early reporting can be particularly important. Victims should preserve screenshots, transaction details, telephone numbers, URLs, messages and other relevant digital evidence.
Cybercrime can affect anyone, regardless of age, education or profession. Reporting a cybercrime is not a matter of shame; it is an important step towards preventing further harm.
Responsible AI is the way forward
Artificial Intelligence has significant potential to improve policing and public services. It can help agencies analyse information faster, respond more effectively and deploy resources more efficiently.
But technology must remain guided by law, ethics and human values. The objective of modern policing is not simply to adopt the newest technology but to use it responsibly to protect life, property, dignity and the rights of citizens.
For the public, the message is equally important: learn about AI, use it responsibly and remain alert to its misuse.
Pause before you trust. Verify before you act. Think before you share.
Artificial Intelligence may become increasingly sophisticated, but an alert, informed and responsible citizen remains one of the strongest safeguards against technology-enabled crime.
Technology should make society safer—not make citizens more vulnerable. The future of policing will depend not only on how intelligently we use Artificial Intelligence, but also on how responsibly we use our own intelligence.