Privacy concerns as France approves AI surveillance at Paris 2024 Olympics

France has approved the use of AI video surveillance to monitor crowds at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, creating an uproar among civil rights groups.

The French government has decided to allow the use of AI video surveillance during the Olympic Games to be held in Paris next summer.

The French National Assembly approved the measure Thursday, voted by a margin of 59-17 in favor in the 577-seat chamber.

If formally adopted, France would become the first country in the EU to legalize the use of AI-powered surveillance.

The government justified its decision by saying the AI surveillance would work to help ensure the safety of millions of tourists during the 17-day event.

Algorithmic video surveillance can detect "pre-determined events," abnormal behavior, and crowd surges, French lawmakers said.

"In front of the whole world, France will need to rise to the meet the greatest security challenge in its history," said Stephane Mazars, an MP with President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party.

Citing the 2016 terror attack in Nice, lawmaker Sacha Houlie, Chair of the French Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs, pointed out how AI surveillance could have helped to prevent the horrific attack.

Houlie, also member of the ruling party, said AI could have identified the truck’s abnormal movements as it plowed through innocent crowds gathered for Bastille Day fireworks and killing 86 victims.

The technology could have also helped to avert the crowd chaos that took place after the Champions League Soccer Final outside a Paris stadium last May, Houlie said.

Hours-long crowd congestion en route and outside the stadium led to riots and chaos for nearly 15,000 fans, some of whom were tear-gassed by police as they attempted to enter the stadium.

Paris is the fourth-most populated city in the EU, with over 2 million residents.

On top of those, about 10 million visitors are expected to descend on the City of Lights during the Games, which run from July 26 to August 11 next year, with the Paralympics following between August 28 and September 8.

A planned 600,000 spectators at a time will take part in celebrations up and down the River Seine – which splits the city – according to the Paris 2024 website.

Still, dozens of EU lawmakers say the decision creates a worrying precedent.

Amnesty International and other digital and civil rights groups, also unhappy with the decision, say the technology poses a threat to civil liberties and freedoms.

France's privacy watchdog, CNIL, said it will support the bill on the condition that biometric data is not processed.

Automated processing of such data can occur when publicly accessible areas are monitored on a large scale.

"You can do two things: object detection or analysis of human behavior - the latter is the processing of biometric data," said Daniel Leufer, Policy Advisor at digital rights organization Access Now.

Leufer, who is against biometric data collection in all EU public spaces, said he doubts the ability of AI to spot potential attackers due to the complexities in training algorithms on rare incidents.

"AI is not good at that type of thing on a technical level, you have to give a machine loads of examples," Leufer said.

France’s decision comes alongside the EU’s own efforts to table legislation regulating AI use among member nations.

Apart from its use by companies, the EU legislation will also look at AI in public sector and law enforcement, in effect mimicking the Olympic AI controversy.

The AI surveillance bill could still face constitutional challenges in France’s highest court, lawmakers said.