Predictive Analytics for Security and Development

This paper was originally published by the Igarapé Institute on February 6, 2024.

The development of new predictive technologies is accelerating and transforming societies worldwide. As governments, companies, and nonprofits rush to deploy predictive analytics to “optimize” everything from policing to energy use, potential risks are being overlooked. This is especially the case in developing countries that are undergoing digital transformation and have their own baseline needs, constraints, and social inequities to consider when deploying predictive tools.

In order to identify first principles to guide the design and deployment of predictive technologies for public safety and sustainable development in the Global South, New America and the Igarapé Institute convened a Global Task Force on Predictive Analytics for Security and Development.

Last year, the Global Task Force met at regular intervals for deliberations. Those discussions were informed by a series of technical notes, published above. The Task Force’s final report will be released ahead of the UN Summit of the Future in 2024.