A.I. at the Frontline: Outthinking Organised and Subversive Crime

This inaugural address examines how artificial intelligence (A.I.) is transforming both organised and subversive crime and the ways society can respond to these challenges. As criminal networks increasingly exploit A.I., digitalisation, and global connectivity, crime is evolving into what can be described as hypercrime: fast-moving, adaptive, and operating across digital, physical, and social domains. These developments are increasingly intertwined with hybrid threats, creating new risks for public safety, institutional integrity, and societal resilience.

At the same time, A.I. offers significant opportunities to improve the understanding, detection, anticipation, and disruption of criminal activity. The lecture highlights the potential of A.I.-driven approaches for intelligence analysis, early warning, decision support, and resilience building, while emphasising the importance of responsible, explainable, and trustworthy A.I.

The central argument is that reactive approaches are no longer sufficient. To remain effective, governments, law enforcement agencies, and society must develop anticipatory capabilities that combine A.I., domain expertise, and critical judgement to outthink the evolving nature of organised and subversive crime.