Who polices the police AI? Perplexity's public safety deal alarms experts - here's why

The AI startup says its platform can help police officers and other public safety officials make more informed decisions. But even mundane use cases can have big effects, experts say.

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Perplexity for Public Safety Organizations launched in January.
• Police can use it, for example, to analyze crime scene photos.
• Other AI developers could soon follow suit.

Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has launched a new initiative aimed at getting its technology into the hands of public safety professionals, including police officers. Unveiled last week, Perplexity for Public Service Organizations offers one free year of the company's Enterprise Pro tier for up to 200 seats, with discount options available to larger agencies.

As anyone who routinely uses LLM-based tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT knows, these tools are fallible, to say the ...