British police officer accused of using AI to fabricate evidence

A Derbyshire Constabulary officer is under criminal investigation over claims they used artificial intelligence to fabricate evidence. The BBC's Samantha Noble reports that it's thought to be the first case of its kind in Britain.

The officer is alleged to have perverted the course of justice, but no arrests have been made, police added. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said they were working with police, adding: "We are engaging with defence teams and the courts in appropriate cases." They added: "As police inquiries continue, it would not be appropriate to comment further."

The force says the unnamed officer is suspected of using AI to create evidential material across several cases. Derbyshire police described the inquiry as concerning "the alleged use of AI systems by an officer to create evidential material in a number of cases." The Crown Prosecution Service is working with the force, defense teams and the courts to identify affected cases. The officer was removed from frontline duties, but has not been arrested; the investigation is reportedly in its early stages.

Perverting the course of justice can result in up to life imprisonment, but the sentencing guidance ranges from wrist slap to 7 years. Officers convicted of similar offenses are fired and banned for life. Convictions resting on the fabricated material are likely to be overturned on appeal.

The case arrives as governments and companies push AI into work it handles unreliably. Also in England, West Midlands police used AI-hallucinated intelligence to justify a travel ban on supposed football hooligans. Deloitte refunded the Australian government part of a report fee after its AI invented academic citations, and South Africa withdrew a policy document over fabricated references. American lawyers have gone hog wild on chat: a public database now catalogs more than 1,350 instances of AI-fabricated material in court filings. Whether people are forced to use it or deal with it, the new technology isn't making many friends outside management.

Previously: ChatGPT isn't hallucinating — it's bullshitting