The adjustment and dismantling of the public administration promoted by Javier Milei in Argentina does not apply to the areas of security and defense. After restoring the State Intelligence Secretariat and assigning it millionaire reserved funds - for which it must not account - it has now created a special unit that will deal with cyber patrolling on social networks and the Internet, the analysis of security cameras in real time and aerial surveillance using drones, among other things. Additionally, he will use “machine learning algorithms” to “predict future crimes,” as writer Philip K. Dick once dreamed of and made famous by the movie Minority Report. How will you do all that? Through artificial intelligence (AI), the Executive announced.
President Milei has been proposing, among the plans aimed at shrinking the State, that he intends to replace its workers and organizations with AI systems. The first function that he will give to this technology, however, will be an expansion of state agencies: this Monday his Government created the Artificial Intelligence Unit Applied to Security. The new body will depend on the Ministry of Security. “It is essential to apply artificial intelligence in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crime and its connections,” indicates the resolution signed by Minister Patricia Bullrich, which cites similar developments in other countries as its basis.
The conviction behind the decision is that the use of AI “will significantly improve the efficiency of the different areas of the ministry and the federal police and security forces, allowing faster and more precise responses to threats and emergencies.” The Artificial Intelligence Unit will be made up of police officers and agents from other security forces. Its functions will include “patrolling open social networks, applications and internet sites”, where it will seek to “detect potential threats, identify movements of criminal groups or foresee disturbances”.
The new AI unit has sparked concern among experts and civil rights organizations. Critics argue that the initiative poses significant risks to citizen rights and privacy. Martin Becerra, a professor and researcher, emphasized that the government's approach contradicts constitutional protections. Natalia Zuazo, a digital policy specialist, described the initiative as 'illegal intelligence disguised as the use of modern technologies.'
The Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information warns that the lack of oversight in AI implementations could lead to abuses, including profiling of individuals without accountability. The Argentine Computer Law Observatory has raised questions about the comparability of Argentina's security systems with those of other nations, highlighting the potential dangers of adopting practices without thorough analysis.
Despite the controversy, proponents, including security officials, argue that AI can enhance crime prevention capabilities. The new unit aims to monitor social networks, detect suspicious transactions, and deploy drones for aerial surveillance. The integration of AI technologies is seen as a means to modernize security operations, though the ethical implications remain a significant concern.
