San Francisco prosecutors turn to AI to reduce racial bias

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a first-of-its-kind experiment, San Francisco prosecutors are turning to artificial intelligence to reduce racial bias in the courts.

They are adopting a system that strips certain identifying details from police reports and leaves only key facts to govern charging decisions. District Attorney George Gascon announced Wednesday that his office will begin using the technology in July to “take race out of the equation” when deciding whether to accuse suspects of a crime.

Criminal-justice experts praised the idea as a bold effort to make charging practices more colorblind.

Prosecutors will make an initial charging decision based on the redacted police report. Then they will look at the entire report to see if there are any extenuating reasons to reconsider the first decision.