Innocence Project AI

The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal organization that utilizes data science and research to exonerate the wrongfully convicted and reform the criminal justice system. While the organization is well-known for DNA-based exonerations, its "Just Data" initiative focuses on using social science and data analysis to identify the systemic causes of wrongful convictions, such as eyewitness misidentification, faulty forensic science, and official misconduct. The project actively advocates against the unregulated use of artificial intelligence in law enforcement, particularly facial recognition technology (FRT) and gunshot detection systems like ShotSpotter, which research shows are statistically unreliable and disproportionately impact communities of color. Through its "Neighborhood Project," the organization works with local communities to understand how surveillance technologies contribute to wrongful arrests and to challenge the use of untested AI in policing. The project also engages in "strategic litigation" to counter the harmful effects of emerging technologies in courtrooms. By leveraging large datasets of court decisions and exoneration trajectories, the Innocence Project aims to create a more equitable system of justice grounded in verifiable science and transparent policy.