Detroit resident Portia Woodruff found herself in an unimaginable situation when police officers knocked on her door, accusing her of carjacking and robbery. Pregnant and in the presence of her children, Woodruff was handcuffed and spent 11 hours in jail for a crime she didn't commit. She later discovered that her wrongful arrest was due to a mistake by artificial intelligence (AI) facial recognition software which had mistakenly matched her mugshot to a video of the suspicious activity.
Detroit's police chief defended the technology, instead placing blame on the officers handling the case, stating that poor investigative work resulted in the error. However, many AI experts such as Georgia Tech professor and researcher Matthew Gombele disagree, arguing that the AI software is not yet refined enough for reliable deployment in police departments.
