Pre-Crime

Predicting and preventing crimes before they occur – what sounds like science fiction has long been a reality in many places. All around the world, police departments have implemented methods of predictive policing, using algorithms and machine learning to predict the place, time and perpetrator of crimes.

But how reliable are these methods really? How do they interact with existing prejudices and discrimination? And how much freedom do we want to give up in order to feel safe? Filmmakers Monika Hielscher and Matthias Heeder explore these questions in their documentary Pre-Crime (2017).

We invite you to a screening of Pre-Crime followed by a panel discussion. Data scientist Dr. Valentin Gold (University of Göttingen) and legal scholar Hauke Bock (University of Leipzig) will discuss the technological, ethical and legal implications of predictive policing. The discussion will be hosted by Prof. Ramin Yahyapour (GWDG).

The film and the panel discussion will be in German, but questions in English are welcome as well. Entrance is free.