Artificial Intelligence and Identification of the Deceased: a Narrative Review With Implications in Forensic Science

Identification of the dead is of utmost importance in mass disasters, war crimes, and forensic examinations. The biological profile, established by a forensic anthropologist is one the necessary steps involved in the identification of the dead. Several parameters can be estimated such as sex, age, stature, biogeographical affinity, and DNA profile of the unknown person. It is crucial to estimate these parameters of identification which may narrow down the investigation process. On the other hand, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the modern world is showing magical uses in different fields. This communication aims to highlight the uses of AI tools for predicting parameters such as sex, age, stature, biogeographical affinity, and DNA profile of unknown persons with more accuracy and in less time. A literature search was conducted using databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect for analyzing the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning algorithms for establishing the biological profile in disaster victim identification (DVI) and forensic casework. Moreover, this research foresees a paradigm shift in investigative techniques as technology advances, highlighting the convergence of AI and anthropological ideas for an improved understanding of the biological profiles of unknown deceased individuals.