Public lecture: The Rise of Algorithmic Policing in the United States

We cordially invite you all to join us for an engaging public lecture focusing on the rise of algorithmic policing in the United States. This enlightening event, organized by the Contesting Governance Platform, will be hosted by Roberto J. González, who holds the position of Professor of Anthropology at San José State University. The lecture is scheduled for November 30, 2023, from 13:15 to 15:00, and will take place at Janskerkhof 2-3 in Utrecht. We look forward to your presence at this thought-provoking discussion.

About this lecture

As in many countries around the world, American police and law enforcement agencies have adopted predictive modeling programs, facial recognition software and other technologies enabled by artificial intelligence (AI). Although companies such as Palantir, Geolitica and Clearview AI claim that they improve public safety by objectively identifying crime ‘hotspots’ or criminal suspects, critics of algorithmic policing are concerned that such tools are increasing surveillance, threatening individual privacy and reinforcing existing patterns of racial discrimination. This lecture will explore how many of the technologies were made possible through funding from US military and intelligence agencies, which has shaped the development of policing by algorithms. The lecture will include a discussion of recent efforts to ban predictive policing programs, and new AI developments that may lead to further automation of decision-making processes.

Prof. Roberto J. González is the author of several notable books, including his most recent work, War Virtually: The Quest to Automate Conflict, Militarize Data, and Predict the Future(2022). His research focuses on science, technology, and society; militarization and culture; processes of social and cultural control; and ethics in social science. He has conducted ethnographic research in Latin America and the United States.