Editor’s note: This article is part of Police1’s “Governing AI in policing” digital report. Download the complete report here.
By Kelly Inabnett
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept in criminal justice — it is actively transforming how law enforcement agencies investigate, analyze and solve crimes. From automating evidence review to predicting criminal activity patterns, AI and crime have become deeply intertwined in the modern justice system.
A market-research estimate places the “AI in Law Enforcement” market size in the U.S. at approximately $3.5 billion in 2024, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 7%. A 2025 Police1 survey found that 90% of law enforcement professionals support AI adoption, with nearly two-thirds believing it will make their work more efficient and effective.
Yet, while enthusiasm is high, agencies are still learning how to balance the promise of artificial intelligence with the responsibility of safeguarding privacy, due process and civil liberties.
The rise of AI in criminal justice
AI in criminal justice now extends far beyond simple automation. Agencies are leveraging machine learning, natural language processing and computer vision to manage investigative workloads that once required thousands of human hours:
- Predictive analytics help identify crime hotspots or individuals at higher risk of offending or reoffending, enabling proactive resource allocation.
- AI in crime detection powers facial recognition, license plate reading and object identification in video surveillance.
- Automated transcription and translation speed up the processing of body-worn camera, interview and wiretap recordings.
- Digital forensics tools use AI to analyze large data sets — emails, phone records or social media — to find relevant evidence faster.
AI in action: Implications for investigative leaders
In the past, investigators often faced weeks or months of reviewing footage and documents to identify leads. Now, forensic investigation using video analytics and AI can highlight key events and patterns in minutes.
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From evidence overload to refined insights
Modern investigations generate an overwhelming volume of digital data — photos, videos, texts, cloud files, GPS logs and social media posts. In many cases, less than half of the available evidence is reviewed before trial due to time and staffing limitations.
AI helps close that gap. By applying automated classification, redaction and object recognition, investigators can rapidly organize and review case files. Transcription and translation tools make multilingual evidence searchable and shareable. In eDiscovery, AI can flag potentially relevant documents or anomalies in seconds — tasks that once took analysts weeks.
When evidence is centralized and AI-ready, agencies gain the ability to run multiple layers of analysis: tracking persons of interest across camera networks, recognizing patterns across cases or identifying behavioral trends to prevent future crimes.
AI and criminal law
As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in criminal law, it raises ethical and procedural challenges.
Courts are now considering:
- How much weight to give AI-generated insights in evidence and sentencing
- How to ensure transparency when algorithms are proprietary and not open to defense scrutiny
- Whether predictive policing reinforces bias based on historical data
Legal scholars and policymakers are calling for frameworks that balance innovation with accountability — ensuring AI remains a tool for justice, not a replacement for human judgment.
AI’s role in the criminal justice system is still evolving, but its potential is significant. By combining human expertise with AI-driven analytics, agencies can accelerate investigations, reduce backlogs and strengthen case integrity.
The future of AI and crime will depend on responsible integration — deploying technology transparently, ethically and in service of public trust.
About the author
Kelly Inabnett is a senior solutions engineer for Veritone, Inc. Prior to joining Veritone, Kelly was a CSAM detective and major crimes investigator for the Antioch (California) Police Department. Kelly has served over 10+ combined years with the Antioch Police Department and the Contra Costa (California) Sheriff’s Office. Kelly now brings his experience to Veritone to help detectives leverage AI to solve cases efficiently and effectively to spend their time where it is most needed.
| WATCH: How AI is helping police tackle digital evidence overload
