75% of Europeans support police and military use of AI

Nearly three-quarters of Europeans support the use of artificial intelligence by police and military, including facial recognition and biometric data for surveillance, a new survey from the IE University in Madrid has shown.

The newly released research, European Tech Insights 2024, surveyed over 3,000 people and more than 40 public servants across 10 European countries.

The highest support for police and military use of AI was recorded in Romania (84.7 percent), Poland (84 percent) and Italy (78.8 percent), while the highest opposition was expressed in Spain (31.7 percent), France (32.1 percent) and the UK (31.4 percent). The survey also found that support for these applications increases with age.

“It is not clear that the public has thought about the ramifications of these [AI] applications,” Ikhlaq Sidhu, dean of the IE University’s School of Science and Technology, told CNBC.

The research, conducted by IE University’s Center for the Governance of Change, also covered the use of AI in public service, including elections, as well as attitudes towards emerging technologies.

One surprise is that the majority of citizens, nearly 61 percent, are unaware that their government is AI to deliver public services. This lack of awareness is highest in Western European nations such as Germany, the UK and Sweden. On the other hand, Romanians, Estonians and Polish people are mostly aware of their government’s use of AI.

It may not be surprising then that two-thirds of the population believe that their governments need to digitize faster to stay competitive compared to China and the United States. Public servants share this view, with nearly 70 percent saying European governments are moving too slowly.

Europeans generally approve of their government’s efforts to use technology to improve public service delivery. However, a large majority (86.5 percent) would like their governments to seek approval from citizens before applying AI in delivering public services. Public servants are more divided, with more than 55 percent in favor of governments getting approval and around 45 percent against.

Support for government-made solutions in public services is strong in Europe, with more than 58 percent supporting their state in creating their software rather than buying from tech companies. Despite these sentiments, most Europeans (60 percent) agree that private companies are better prepared against cyberattacks. One exception is Estonia, where over 60 percent of people believe their state is prepared to fend off cyber threats.

According to the survey, other AI advancements are worrying European citizens. Over 40 percent of the general population and a majority of public servants (73.9 percent) say they are uneasy about the potential misuse of AI in elections. This fear was most prevalent in the UK and Spain where over half of the population expressed such concerns.

This year’s European Tech Insights 2024 survey covered Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Europe  |  facial recognition  |  government services  |  law enforcement  |  military