Brazil has launched an AI platform that continually scans the internet and collects statements that it considers disinformation or hate speech against the LGBTQ+ community, which can then be used to prosecute offenders, Brazilian news site GP1 reported. The offense falls under Brazil’s hate crime law, which in 2019 expanded to include homophobia and transphobia, and threatens prison time for the convicted. The AI, called Aletheia, monitors social media, blogs, and news sites. Paying the program’s staff and maintaining the AI will cost roughly R$140,000 ($26,000) per year.
The initiative marks a new kind of large-scale, AI-powered speech surveillance system. With blowback from conservative circles, it tests what governments and the public consider acceptable use of the technology. Globally, similar AI could help law enforcement monitor potential public safety threats online or find the root of hate campaigns — though it risks being mishandled, like by targeting political dissenters.