"AI-Powered Mass Surveillance Normalised Through Popular Culture and Corporate Deployment"
Automated Licence-Plate Reader (ALPR)
Technology that records vehicle movements and creates travel-history reports using cameras.
Accountability gap
Diffusion of moral and legal responsibility across multiple actors when an AI system causes harm.
The latest Marvel film depicts a superhero using an AI assistant to access every security camera in a city and run facial recognition algorithms to locate a single individual. In doing so, the character scans and processes the biometric data of millions of uninvolved civilians without their knowledge or consent. The film treats this as a routine, even heroic, act. This mirrors real-world practices: companies like Flock Safety operate automated licence-plate reader (ALPR) networks across 49 US states, and Palantir deploys AI-powered intelligence platforms, Gotham, Foundry, and Skykit, in military operations, including a strategic partnership with the Israeli military announced in early 2024. A report by the Electronic Frontier Foundation found that law enforcement agencies have used Flock's technology to monitor protesters and activists. Separate investigations found individual police officers using the system to surveil personal acquaintances, including stalking women.
The ethical dilemma here is not simply about one film or one company. It is about the systematic justification of mass surveillance using a consistent rhetorical template: safety, counter-terrorism, and the protection of innocents. The same logic appears in fictional narratives, in corporate marketing, and in government policy. The question for a civil servant, and for society, is whether this justification is sufficient, and who bears responsibility when the technology is misused.
Consider the following statements regarding the AI Action Summit held in Grand Palais, Paris in February 2025:
I.Co-chaired with India, the event builds on the advances made at the Bletchley Park Summit held in 2023 and the Seoul Summit held in 2024.
II.Along with other countries, US and UK also signed the declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The application of Artificial Intelligence as a dependable source of input for administrative rational decision-making is a debatable issue. Critically examine the statement from the ethical point of view.
Consider the following statements regarding the AI Action Summit held in Paris in February 2025:
1.The summit was co-chaired with India.
2.It built on the Bletchley Park Summit (2023) and the Seoul Summit (2024).
3.The United States and the United Kingdom signed the final declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding Flock Safety's automated licence-plate reader (ALPR) technology:
1.Flock Safety's ALPR system incorporates facial recognition to identify individuals.
2.Flock Safety operates ALPR networks across 49 US states.
3.The Electronic Frontier Foundation documented use of Flock Safety's technology to monitor protesters and activists.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Match the following AI platforms with the company that developed them:
List I (Platform) — List II (Company/Context)
A.Gotham — 1. Facial recognition for city-wide surveillance (fictional)
B.Foundry — 2. Palantir's military intelligence platform
C.Skykit — 3. Palantir's data integration platform
D.ALPR network (49 US states) — 4. Flock Safety
Select the correct match:
With reference to the ethical concerns surrounding AI-powered mass surveillance, consider the following statements:
1.Consequentialist justifications for mass surveillance argue that speculative future harm prevented outweighs certain present harm to innocent civilians.
2.The 'accountability gap' in AI surveillance refers to the diffusion of moral responsibility across developers, deployers, and supervising officers.
3.Rawls' 'veil of ignorance' supports mass surveillance systems because rational agents would choose maximum security for society.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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