Algorithmic video surveillance (AVS), which uses AI to detect behaviours like crowd movements and abandoned objects, has drawn fire for its potential to infringe on individual rights.

Prime Minister Michel Barnier this month paved the way for its widespread use in public spaces, following hot on the heels of an endorsement of the “experimental” technology by Paris Police chief Laurent Nunes.

The extended use of AVS comes despite an evaluation report on the technology’s ethics not being due until the end of the year.