Ministers are planning to encourage the police to deploy AI as a ‘powerful tool for good’ and use it to tackle crimes such as shoplifting

• Police chiefs asked to use facial recognition technology to double searches 

Ministers are planning to highlight the positive benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) by encouraging the police to deploy the technology to tackle crimes such as shoplifting.

The move comes as Rishi Sunak prepares to welcome world leaders and tech magnates to an AI summit this week, just days after warning that humanity faces extinction if AI spirals out of control.

Policing Minister Chris Philp wrote to police chiefs telling them to double the number of searches they make using retrospective facial recognition technology to track down offenders by May 2024.

The Minister, who set a target of 200,000 searches of still images against the police national database, also wants officers to make more use of live facial recognition footage of crowds to compare with a watch list of suspects wanted by the police.

Mr Philp said: ‘AI technology is a powerful tool for good, with huge opportunities to advance policing and cut crime. This is not about acquiring kit and deploying new tech for the sake of it; it is about staying one step ahead of criminals, delivering smarter, more effective policing and making our streets safer.’

The Prime Minister has been criticised for inviting Yi Zeng, a professor from the state-controlled Chinese Academy of Sciences, to the meeting, which is the first-ever major global AI safety summit. 

Former PM Liz Truss has urged Mr Sunak to reconsider the invitation.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is also convening an event tomorrow which will bring together government, law enforcement and the tech industry to discuss how best to tackle child sexual abuse images that have been created using AI.