AFP warns Australia of ‘tsunami of youth crime’ and radicalisation accelerated by AI

Key points

• The Australian Federal Police have warned of a tsunami of youth crime, with artificial intelligence speeding up radicalisation. Acting deputy commissioner Sandra Booth told a parliamentary inquiry that the process, once taking years or months, can now happen within days.
• She warned that mental health, education and justice systems could be overwhelmed without serious action. Police allege a 13-year-old boy in Australia possessed violent extremist material and plans for a school shooting.
• Since 2020, 65 children, some as young as 12, have been subject to federal police operations. A final report is due in March next year.