A controversial measure to allow for the use of advanced artificial intelligence to monitor crowds attending this year’s Rugby World Cup and next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in France has been passed by the French Government.
The system will use algorithms to identify potential issues with regard to the movement of the crowds, unusual patterns and unsupervised bags.
Opponents in France suggested it would lead to an invasion of human rights and privacy but the measure has been passed for an experimental period up to the spring of 2025.
CCTV and facial recognition has been in place for some time but this will bring it to a new level handing over control of how they are monitored to a machine rather than through the laborious process of human monitoring.
The biggest of sporting occasions always tend to see the introduction of major new technologies. The Near Field Communications that allows us to tap for payment was first used in a broad public setting at the London Olympic Games in 2012.
This is a little less on the side of convenience and more fraught with the potential for misuse but the march of AI is accelerating and once it comes down to a security issue at a major public gathering, it becomes hard to argue against.
