The bleak forecasts are outlined in the Local Government Association’s Future Crime Horizon Scan. Driverless cars are heading for our roads from 2025 and the report says there is “particular concern” about them being used as weapons.
It adds: “This would serve to proliferate vehicular terrorism by reducing the need for driver recruitment, enabling lone actor attacks, and potentially co-ordinating a large number of vehicles at once.”
It suggests using artificial intelligence to create deep fakes and sharing them on social media will make it easy to get round security features such as facial recognition.
And it warns: “As drones become more technologically sophisticated, there is a high possibility these are used for terrorist purposes — such as the deployment of explosives.”
In April, drivers were legally allowed to take their hands off the steering wheel on our motorways for the first time. The driving-assist feature in Ford’s latest Mustang Mach-E model was permitted by the Department for Transport in a first for Europe. Parliament’s Transport Select Committee is calling for a range of measures to ensure they are safe and efficient.
Last month, ten driverless cars broke down and caused gridlock in San Francisco. But there are clear benefits. Ministers are assessing projects allowing groceries to be delivered by self-driving vehicles. Advocates say self-driving vehicles will revolutionize public transport and especially help non-drivers.
They claim they will better connect rural communities and reduce accidents caused by human error. The AA’s Edmund King said: “It is right to embrace the positive changes offered by new technology.
“We are aware that cyber security is a big issue which will need in-built safeguards when it comes to driverless cars, so it is something we have been discussing with the industry and government.”
A Local Government Association spokesman said of the report: “Councils want to be in a better position to respond to the impact of “AI-enabled crime, and this was a report that provided members with an overview of what academic and other external research suggests will be the emergent trends in crime as a result of AI in the next five to ten years.” A government spokesperson told The Sun: “We have a robust transport security regime, which we keep under constant review.”
