Is AI watching you? The hidden links between research and surveillance

Nature Podcast

[email protected]

Science, News, Technology

4.4 • 859 Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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In this episode:

00:45 Is AI-research being co-opted to keep track of people?

A significant amount of research in the AI field of computer vision is being used to analyse humans in ways that support the development of surveillance technologies, according to new research. By analysing the contents of thousands of research papers, the team behind the work showed that 90% of studies, and 86% of patents resulting from them, involved data relating to imaging humans. While there are many positive applications for this technology, such as in medical diagnostics, this work shows evidence of a pipeline from computer-vision research to surveillance.

Research article: Kalluri et al.

News and Views: Computer-vision research is hiding its role in creating ‘Big Brother’ technologies

Video: Is AI powering Big Brother? Surveillance research is on the rise

News: Wake up call for AI: computer-vision research increasingly used for surveillance

Editorial: Don’t sleepwalk from computer-vision research into surveillance

09:38 Research Highlights

A minuscule robot that can manipulate liquid droplets, and the sensors that can identify hydrothermal explosions at Yellowstone National Park.

Research Highlight: This tiny robot moves mini-droplets with ease

Research Highlight: Sensors pinpoint the exact time of a Yellowstone explosion

12:12 The first images from the world’s largest digital camera

This week, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has unveiled the first images from its 3,200 megapixel digital camera. We discuss the images, and how the facility will help researchers learn more about the Universe.

News: First images from world’s largest digital camera leave astronomers in awe

19:18 Briefing Chat

How scientists created hexanitrogen, a new molecule made of six nitrogen atoms, and the why researchers are excited about the first confirmed skull of an extinct Denisovan.

Chemistry World: Most energetic molecule ever made is stable – in liquid nitrogen

Nature: First ever skull from ‘Denisovan’ reveals what ancient people looked like

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a clash of maps. The generals are rival cartographers and their soldiers wield type and copper plays to create ever larger atlases. The prize? A new image of the world. And with it, vast wealth. I'm historian Jerry Brom. To hear more about this story, remarkable people and the fascinating maps behind them, subscribe to
0:22.1	What's Your Map, an Oculey Mundi exploration, available on all good podcast platforms.
0:32.1	Nature and experiment.
0:38.3	Why is it like so far? Like, it sounds so simple. Nature. In a experiment. I don't know yet.
0:40.3	Why is Blight so far?
0:41.5	Like, it sounds so simple.
0:43.0	They had no idea.
0:44.3	But now the data's... I find this not only refreshing, but at some level astounding.
0:52.0	Nature.
1:02.0	Welcome back to the nature podcast this week, the link between AI and surveillance.
1:05.8	And the first images from the Vera C-Ruban Observatory.
1:07.2	I'm Benjamin Thompson.
1:09.0	And I'm Charmany Bundell. Is AI research being co-opted to keep track of people?
1:22.9	Nick Petrochow is here with the story.
1:25.6	Many researchers, policymakers and activists argue that AI research could be used to power
1:32.9	mass surveillance and want more critical discussion around how this technology is being used.
1:41.1	Their argument makes logical sense. Computer vision, the area of AI dedicated to getting machines to see, can be used in self-driving cars to detect humans crossing the road, or used to automatically tag someone in a social media post.
1:56.8	So it doesn't seem like a huge stretch to imagine that it could also be used to track people
2:03.0	going around their daily lives.
2:06.1	But this argument has been contentious.
2:08.9	If you ask various people about what computer vision does, you know, various people will give
2:14.4	you, you know, different answers.
	...

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