The French national assembly has controversially approved the use of artificial intelligence (AI) video surveillance for security purposes at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.
The provision was the most contentious of the Olympic and Paralympic games bill, drawing concerns from civil rights groups, but allows A.I software to be used to analyze images captured by surveillance cameras at “sporting, recreational or cultural events” on an experimental basis.
The government claims this can detect risky situations including abandoned luggage and unusual crowd movements at Paris 2024.
Chair of the French parliament’s committee on legal affairs Sacha Houlie claimed that the technology could have prevented incidents including the 2016 terrorist attack in Nice and the chaos at last year’s UEFA champions league final at Paris 2024 venue the Stade de France.
France’s national commission on informatics and liberty is backing the bill provided no biometric data is treated.
However, it could still be challenged by France’s highest constitutional court.
It would make France the first country in the European Union to legalize AI-powered surveillance.
Groups including Amnesty International have argued the technology “sets a dangerous precedent for human rights”, and fear it risks transforming Paris 2024 “into a massive assault on the right to privacy”.