Artificial Intelligence in Violence Risk Assessment: Addressing Racial Bias and Inequity

Although there has been no shortage of technological innovation in recent decades, a solution to sociodemographic disparities in the forensic setting has remained elusive. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a uniquely powerful emerging technology that is likely to either exacerbate or mitigate existing disparities and biases. This column argues that the implementation of AI in forensic settings is inevitable, and that practitioners and researchers should focus on developing AI systems that reduce bias and advance sociodemographic equity rather than attempt to impede the use of this novel technology.