It’s the unknown crime that we can’t yet imagine that we should be worried about!
— Jim Carroll
The opportunity
Defend critical infrastructure, data, and digital systems from increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks that leverage artificial intelligence for enhanced capabilities and evasion.
From “Daily Inspiration: Policing & AI - “It’s the unknown crime that we can’t yet imagine that we should be worried about!”” (November 2024)
What other issues might the RCMP be faced with? The list is vast. There are fast-emerging new digital identity crimes and synthetic personas - RCMP officers may need to unravel networks of AI-generated identities used for fraud, espionage, and misinformation campaigns. They may work with AI-driven analytics to identify patterns, trace digital fingerprints, and verify the authenticity of identities in cyberspace, which could become critical in fields from finance to national security. There is also a heightened risk of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Canada - everything from smart grids to autonomous transportation, which makes it a prime target for cybercriminals and state-sponsored attackers. The RCMP could play a critical role in securing vital national assets by detecting, investigating, and mitigating cyberattacks on healthcare, energy, and transportation networks, possibly using predictive AI to preemptively identify threats.
We also need to consider genetic data and crime - with genetic data increasingly stored online and used for medical, legal, and employment purposes, the RCMP could find itself managing complex crime cases involving the theft or misuse of this sensitive information. They may need to protect against bio-crimes that manipulate or weaponize genetic data, as well as address crimes where unauthorized access to genetic profiles leads to discrimination or exploitation.
Here’s the bottom line - as AI develops at a much faster speed with new technologies and ideas coming at us almost daily, criminals will likely find new and creative ways to use it to commit crimes - and that means that police forces must develop the skills, knowledge, and advanced capabilities to keep up. Police will need training on new investigative techniques and technologies involving AI - such the the use of advanced forensic software and tools that can collect and analyze digital evidence, and AI-powered video analytics tools that can detect anomalies and predict emerging threats. I’ve got a chart in my slide deck that walks through the nature of the opportunities.
From “Decoding Tomorrow: The Way Forward: #4 Healthcare: “Yesterday’s medical breakthrough was a new drug. Tomorrow’s breakthrough is the intelligent algorithm that designs the drug, the connected device that delivers it, and the data stream that confirms it worked.”” (September 2025)
AI-driven diagnostics and treatment : Artificial intelligence is becoming the new engine of healthcare, used to analyze medical images, accelerate drug discovery, and create personalized treatment plans.
Infrastructural Deficits: A lack of robust, interoperable IT infrastructure is a fundamental obstacle. Many smaller organizations are still grappling with legacy electronic health record (EHR) systems that do not easily integrate with new virtual care platforms, IoT sensors, or advanced analytics tools.
Data & Security Concerns: As healthcare becomes more connected, issues of data ownership, privacy, and cybersecurity become critical. Smaller organizations often lack the resources and expertise to implement the robust cybersecurity measures necessary to protect sensitive patient data from increasingly sophisticated threats.
From “Decoding Tomorrow: The Way Forward: #3 Energy: ""The power plant of the past was a smokestack on the horizon. The power plant of the future is the solar panel on your roof, the battery in your garage, and the intelligent software that connects them all.”” (September 2025)
the AI-driven demand shift. The massive, escalating energy demand from data centers and AI infrastructure is placing unprecedented strain on aging grid systems and reshaping the landscape of power consumption.
skills gap and technical complexity : The new energy economy requires a new set of skills. There is a growing shortage of workers with expertise in data science, cybersecurity, and the complex software systems that manage a smart grid. SMEs and community groups often lack the in-house technical expertise to design, implement, and manage advanced energy systems.
cybersecurity risks: As the grid becomes a hyper-connected network of millions of devices, it becomes a much larger target for cyberattacks. While this is a challenge for all players, SMEs and community projects may lack the resources and expertise to implement the robust cybersecurity measures necessary to protect their assets and the grid to which they are connected.
Read the full pieces on jimcarroll.com:
Daily Inspiration: Policing & AI - “It’s the unknown crime that we can’t yet imagine that we should be worried about!”
Decoding Tomorrow: The Way Forward: #4 Healthcare: “Yesterday’s medical breakthrough was a new drug. Tomorrow’s breakthrough is the intelligent algorithm that designs the drug, the connected device that delivers it, and the data stream that confirms it worked.”
Decoding Tomorrow: The Way Forward: #3 Energy: ""The power plant of the past was a smokestack on the horizon. The power plant of the future is the solar panel on your roof, the battery in your garage, and the intelligent software that connects them all.”