[486 words]
Three years ago, a stranger tried to lure a 12-year-old girl to leave with him from a McDonald’s restaurant in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The girl immediately reported the fellow and the police were called. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the suspect had left.
The police began an investigation using an Artificial Intelligence tool. The authorities ran a grainy surveillance photo through AI facial recognition, and it spit out the face of Robert Dillion as a 93 percent match for a man accused of trying to lure the child.
Dillon lives in Fort Myers (300 miles away from Jacksonville Beach). So, when he was accused of the crime, he told authorities that he’d never been to that town. In the police’s defense, a McDonald’s employee picked out Dillion’s face from a lineup of suspects.
Ironically, another AI tool could have saved the police the trouble and Dillion the embarrassment and stigma. None of the area “License Plate Readers” had any record of any of Dillion’s cars ever being near that McDonald’s or even in the town. A fact, when brought to light in Dillion’s case, caused the judge to declare him innocent and drop the charges.
Dillion is now suing the authorities alleging that they did not do their “due diligence.” The innocent Dillion charges that this caused him trauma. He was arrested in front of his own young child, spent some time in jail, had to take out loans to pay bail, bond and an attorney. His photo appeared in the news media and he has lost much of his livelihood due to the stigma and suspicion it has caused in his home town.
But Dillon is not the only person who has experienced arrest due to a false AI report. He is one of 15 known innocent people in the country who have had similar experiences.
In the Bible, two heroes of our faith were known to be falsely accused and arrested for crimes they did not commit. The first is Joseph of Genesis 37-50. The second is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:22; Matthew chapters 26 and 27).
Unfortunately, unfair things sometimes happen to innocent people. We can do nothing wrong yet we can become the victims of false judgment or biased criticism.
What can you do when this happens?
1. Remember that God is with you. He is not distant or uncaring; He enters into human suffering and walks with us through the pain (Psalms 34:18; Psalms 46:1).
2. Guard your heart. Refuse to let bitterness or a desire for revenge take root (Proverbs 4:23).
3. Focus on your response. While you cannot control the injustice others bring, you can control your own character and grace under pressure (1 Peter 2:21-23).
4. Entrust yourself to God. Rest in the promise that a final day of reckoning and justice is coming (1 Peter 4:12-13).
Larry Fitzgerald
Northwest church of Christ
Abilene, TX