Washington State University has developed Guided Interaction, an artificial intelligence app that assists police during domestic violence calls. The tool reminds officers what to ask, what to document, and which laws to apply, aiming to reduce errors in high-stress situations. However, this technological solution raises questions about its true purpose.
How the app that digitizes police protocol works 📱
Guided Interaction deploys sequential steps on a mobile interface, guiding the officer from risk assessment to report writing. The AI processes scene data and suggests legal actions in real time. But the system relies on external servers to store sensitive victim information, an obvious cybersecurity risk. Additionally, generic instructions fail to capture the emotional complexity of each case.
Police with a phone: now Siri provides the empathy 🤖
Soon you'll see an officer staring intently at their screen while you, the victim, wait for a human gaze. The app will remind you to breathe, but the officer will be too busy following the digital checklist. Cheap turns out expensive: instead of training officers with sensitivity, we give them an emotional GPS. So, when the system fails, we'll have a nice app to blame.