AI & Policing: Research Report on the Governance and Use of AI by Police in Canada
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Description
Examines the growing use of AI by police, the benefits and risks these technologies present, and opportunities for stronger governance across the following areas:
- Police uses of AI: What types of AI technologies are currently in use, or have been used, by Canadian police forces, and for what specific purposes? What evidence is there of their benefits and risks?
- Police self-regulation: How effectively are police agencies in Canada governing their own use of AI technologies?
- Governance approaches: How can international and Canadian AI governance initiatives help guide responsible and trustworthy AI adoption in Canadian policing?
We relied on published research and knowledge from a wide range of public sources, as well as on roundtables with stakeholders. These roundtables were especially important, given the rapidly evolving nature of this topic. Across three cities, 40 participants contributed candidly under the Chatham House Rule, enabling the free sharing of ideas and experiences. This included representatives from human rights and law reform bodies, privacy commissioners, police services and oversight agencies, academics and researchers, civil society and advocacy organizations, criminal defence lawyers and legislators.
While this report focuses on published research and open-source materials on this topic, a second report describing the research roundtable discussions was published in January 2026.
Publication Date
2026
Publisher
UBC AI & Criminal Justice Initiative
Disciplines
Law
Notes
AI & Policing: Research Report Published