Part – 1

Pre-crime technology

Preventing a crime before it HAPPENS, gathering and selecting a team of undervalued players at LOW COST that is sure to perform well before it ACTUALLY plays a game, deciding whether to fund or not fund a movie of a creative team of little-known directors, scriptwriters and actors that will be blockbuster is a dream that any investor always would like to find out before he decides to invest. Traditionally such decisions work taken by experienced bosses based on their gut feeling. To many finding out beforehand whether a movie will be a blockbuster or a failure or whether a team will win the World Cup or collapse under pressure was a matter of many science fiction and thriller movies. However, technology and AI are attempting to change all this.

As AI spreads its wings in all aspects of human creative endeavours. One of its most promising applications could be pre-crime technology as shown in the movie in “The Minority Report”.

The very idea of preventing crime before it happens by using data analysis and surveillance to identify and intervene on potential criminals or crime hotspots is a CHALLENGING IDEA that has enormous potential.

First a bit of history of pre-crime Technology (PCT). Some believe that a Beat constable was the earliest startup of PCT.

A beat constable is a police officer who patrols a designated area or beat, and is responsible for preventing and detecting crime, maintaining law and order, and building rapport with the local community. The concept of beat policing dates back to the 19th century, when Sir Robert Peel, the founder of modern policing, established the Metropolitan Police in London and divided the city into beats for each constable to patrol. The idea was that by having a regular and visible presence in the streets, the police could deter potential criminals, gather intelligence, and intervene in suspicious or unlawful activities before they escalate into serious crimes.

Of course, there were other methods. For example, in ancient China, the legal system was based on the principle of li, which meant ritual, propriety, or moral order, and aimed to prevent crime by regulating people’s behavior and social relations through education, rites, and norms. In medieval Europe, the practice of ordeal was used to determine the guilt or innocence of a suspect by subjecting them to a painful or dangerous test, such as holding a hot iron or plunging a hand into boiling water, and observing the outcome or the healing process. The belief was that God would intervene and protect the innocent, while the guilty would suffer or fail the test. In the 18th century, the French police officer and criminologist Vidocq pioneered the use of undercover agents, informers, criminal records, and forensic techniques to track down and arrest criminals, and also established the first private detective agency.

Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense who directed many thrillers that involved murder, mystery, and intrigue. Some of his best-known thrillers from the 1950s and 1960s are Strangers on a Train, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, and PSYCHO. If pre-crime technology were available during his time, he would have to CHANGE the plot of his crime thrillers in different ways, depending on the plot and the characters. Here are some possible suggestions for movie makers:

– Strangers on a Train: In this film, two strangers meet on a train and agree to swap murders, so that neither of them gets caught. However, things go wrong when one of them changes his mind and the other becomes obsessed with completing the plan. If pre-crime technology were available, the strangers might have been detected and stopped before they could carry out their scheme, or they might have had to find more clever and covert ways to avoid being tracked and traced by the authorities.

The idea as shown in The Minority Report is based on the concept of pre-crime, which is the idea that the occurrence of a crime can be ANTICIPATED BEFORE IT HAPPENS.

PRE-CRIME TECHNOLOGY uses data analysis and surveillance to identify and intervene in potential criminals or crime hotspots. However, the practicality and ethics of pre-crime technology are highly debated, as there are many challenges and risks involved, such as:

– The accuracy and RELIABILITY OF THE DATA AND ALGORITHMS used to predict crime, and the possibility of FALSE POSITIVES, biases, errors, or manipulation.

– The legal and moral implications of punishing or restricting people for crimes they have not yet committed, and the potential violation of their human rights, privacy, and due process.

– The social and PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS of pre-crime technology on the public, such as creating fear, distrust, stigma, or self-fulfilling prophecies.

– The accountability and TRANSPARENCY OF THE AUTHORITIES and agencies that use pre-crime technology, and the oversight and regulation of their practices and policies.

Obviously, Pre-crime technology may have some benefits in reducing crime and enhancing public safety, it also poses many challenges and dangers that need to be carefully considered and addressed before it can be implemented in a REALISTIC AND ETHICAL WAY.

To be Continued…