MACHINES OF REMORSE: AI, CRIMINAL MINDS, AND JUSTICE

Abstract

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in forensic psychology is rapidly transforming criminal justice by providing advanced technological advancements, i.e tools for profiling, behavioral predictions, and decision making. This chapter delves into two central questions in the emerging field of forensic psychology and AI: Of course, with reference to guilt, one must consider whether AI can effectively understand a criminal mind. Although, these tools evidently raise several psychological concerns regarding how good AI can mimic human cognition, emotions and moral reasoning, which are central to understanding criminal behavior and legal responsibilities. Can AI comprehend guilt and predict human behavior? And, How do AI predictions align with or challenge our psychological understanding of free will? But how does the use of such predictions fit into the ageless controversies regarding free will and determinism in the justice system? Promisingly, integrating these two entangled topics provides insight into both the traditional philosophical challenges regarding AI’s ability to grapple with the concept of criminal intent and the practical moral issues associated with the likely surreptitious erasure of human agency within legal structures, as those are driven by predictive algorithms.