‘It’s beyond human scale’: AFP defends use of artificial intelligence to search seized phones and emails

Australian federal police says it has ‘no choice’ due to the vast amount of data examined in investigations

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The Australian federal police says it had “no choice” but to lean into using artificial intelligence and is increasingly using the technology to search seized phones and other devices, given the vast amount of data examined in investigations.

The AFP’s manager for technology strategy and data, Benjamin Lamont, said investigations conducted by the agency involve an average of 40 terabytes’ worth of data. This includes material from the 58,000 referrals a year it receives at its child exploitation centre, while a cyber incident is being reported every six minutes.

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