State law enforcement officials entered into a $3.14 million contract with Microsoft to use artificial intelligence to “accelerate the digital transformation” of the department and use new technologies to improve operations and public safety.

The state contract “positions DLE as a first-in-class law enforcement organization leveraging modern technologies and cloud- enabled capabilities” to improve operational efficiencies, enhance data management and analysis and foster improved community engagement, according to a Friday news release from the DLE.

DLE will use Microsoft Azure AI technologies and advanced collaboration tools to enhance “real-time decision-making and operational efficiency” streamline workflows, “reduce administrative burdens” and improve response times.

“DLE is excited to partner with Microsoft to develop a technology foundation for state law enforcement that will drive innovation to improve public safety for our kupuna and keiki,” said Department of Law Enforcement Director Jordan Lowe, in a statement.

Artificial intelligence’s impact on policing and crime is evolving as fast as the intelligence. Law enforcement agencies around the country are exploring ways to counter criminal use of the intelligence, like the production of fake evidence, the altering of digital histories and coordinated cyberattacks.

The Honolulu Police Department does not currently use AI in any capacity.

“We are still in the research stage,” Michelle Yu, an HPD spokesperson, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

The FBI’s Honolulu division told the Star-Advertiser in a statement that the bureau “utilizes many techniques in the course of our investigations.”

“While it is FBI policy to decline to comment on how we pursue specific cases, we abide by strict guidelines to ensure our agents follow the law,” read the statement.

On Oct. 2, Nicole Argentieri, principal deputy assistant attorney general and head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, told a crowd gathered at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., that “department has already deployed AI to triage reports about potential crimes, connect the dots across large data sets, and identify the origin of seized narcotics.”

“As with any transformative technology, AI also presents risks for misuse, especially as generative AI makes it easier for criminals to commit crimes and harder for all of us — law enforcement and civilians alike — to know what is real and what is not,” Argentieri said.

She listed examples like criminals using a family member’s voice or a celebrity’s image to mislead and defraud people out of their life’s savings.

Predators have used AI to turn innocent pictures of real children into child sexual abuse material. Cybercriminals can exploit open-source AI models to create chatbots that write phishing emails and malicious code, she said.

“Criminals have always sought to exploit new technology. While their tools may change, our mission does not.”

The federal government started officially experimenting with artificial intelligence after Congress passed the AI in Government Act of 2018.

That bill established the Emerging Technology Policy Lab within the General Services Administration to “advise and promote the efforts of the federal government in ensuring that the use of emerging technologies by the government, including artificial intelligence,” is in the best interest of the public.

The bill also was passed to “improve cohesion and competency” in federal agency rulemaking and the use of emerging technologies.

The Office of Personnel Management was ordered to “identify key skills and competencies” needed for federal government positions related to artificial intelligence; and establish an “occupational series, or revise an existing occupational job series” to include positions the primary duties of which relate to artificial intelligence, according to a summary of the measure on the U.S. Congress’s website.

The state is “leveraging the latest Azure AI technologies to enhance public safety and improve the efficient operation of the department (of law enforcement),” said Ernie Fernandez, vice president, state and local governments at Microsoft Corp., in a statement.

“This collaboration demonstrates how industry and public safety agencies can work together to responsibly deliver technology innovations to improve communities across the U.S.,” Fernandez said.

DLE will also integrate Microsoft Azure Event Hub and Microsoft Data Lake into a data platform that will provide “advanced capabilities in data visualization, situational awareness and immersive training,” according to a state news release.

DLE will harness data to drive insights, inform strategic decisions and foster a data-driven culture that enhances public safety.

What, exactly that data is, whether or not it is public, and where it comes from, will become clear as the state begins to execute the contract.