Baguio mulls AI use to solve crimes

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The city government of Baguio is considering tapping AI or artificial intelligence technology to help solve crimes, particularly in facial recognition, object detection and behavior pattern analysis.

In a recent session, the city council inquired about the geographical information system or GIS map-based AI heterogenous data convergence management system, in connection with a request of Mayor Benjamin Magalong to authorize him to enter into an agreement with technology proponent SRPOST Inc.

Angelina Khodotova, project manager of SRPOST Inc., said the project – funded by the South Korean government and the European Research Coordination Agency (Eureka) – has been on the table of the city government since 2021.

The use of the system will be free of charge for the first three years as it is covered by a grant provided by the Eureka.

SRPOST Inc. will shoulder all the costs of the server within the period.

Khodotova said the city government is expected to assist in the documentation and provide access to data that may be shared with SRPOST for development purposes.

Adam Lacay, information system analyst II at the Management in Information and Technology Division, said the proposed platform could detect criminal or abnormal behavior with the use of the city’s existing closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) and other infrastructure.

Lacay said the technology would improve the capability of the city’s surveillance system by incorporating advanced AI analytics.

He said the city’s CCTV system has AI capabilities, but these are limited to recognizing license plates and detecting basic objects.

Councilors Mylen Victoria Yaranon and Vladimir Cayabas raised concerns about data security and online threats.

A majority of the council members voted in favor of granting Magalong authority to enter into an agreement with SRPOST Inc.