Will AI replace Detectives and Criminal Investigators?

Some of your tasks will be automated. People who use AI will have the edge.

Task exposure to today's AI

40/100

Moderate exposure

This is the occupation's typical task mix. Your own score can be up to 30 points higher or lower depending on how you work: routine share, people contact, judgment and how much you already use AI.

Get your personal score

Will AI replace Detectives and Criminal Investigators?

Not entirely. Today's AI tools can take on about 40% of the typical work in this occupation, mostly: prepare reports that detail investigation findings. The parts that stay human include: Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.; Obtain and verify evidence by interviewing and observing suspects and witnesses or by analyzing records.; Preserve, process, and analyze items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers and destroying evidence no longer needed..

People who learn to use AI for the automatable parts keep the edge. The 3-phase plan below shows where to start.

Which tasks AI can take on

The largest tasks in this occupation, their share of the working week, and how much of each today's AI tools can do.

TaskAutomatable

Prepare reports that detail investigation findings.AI already used 75%

Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants. 60%

Prepare charges or responses to charges, or information for court cases, according to formalized procedures. 55%

Examine records and governmental agency files to find identifying data about suspects. 55%

Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device. 42%

Obtain and verify evidence by interviewing and observing suspects and witnesses or by analyzing records. 23%

+ 24 more tasks (54% of the week) in the full test.

Your human edge

Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.
Obtain and verify evidence by interviewing and observing suspects and witnesses or by analyzing records.
Preserve, process, and analyze items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers and destroying evidence no longer needed.

AI tools to try

ChatGPT / Claude for reports and summariesVideo analytics and alerting systemsTranscription tools

Related roles

A 3-phase AI learning plan

Phase 1

Faster reports

Incident reports drafted from your notes with AI, checked by you.
Summaries of long documents and procedures.
Follow rules on personal and sensitive data.

Project

Draft 10 incident reports from your own anonymized field notes using an approved AI tool, verify every fact yourself, and log the minutes saved per report versus your usual time.

Phase 2

Working with AI systems

How video analytics and alerting systems work, and where they fail.
False alarms and bias: when to trust and when to check.
Clear handover between system alerts and human decisions.

Project

Review 30 recent video analytics or ALPR alerts, classify each as true hit, false alarm or ambiguous, and write a one-page rule for when an analyst must manually confirm before acting.

Phase 3

Specialise

Training in security technology or analysis.
Procedures that combine AI tools with human judgment.
Mentor newer colleagues.

Project

Write and pilot a two-page unit procedure for AI-assisted report drafting and alert triage, then train two newer investigators on it and collect their feedback after a week.

Take the free 11-question test