Interpol Uses AI Facial Recognition to Identify Suspected Terrorists; Anthropic Expands Claude's Role in R&D
Interpol identified 126 alleged terrorists using AI-assisted facial recognition, while Anthropic reported that its Claude model now handles over a quarter of its research and development work under human supervision.
Interpol announced that a multinational team of experts analyzed more than 108,000 facial images from jihadist media, using AI agents to remove duplicates and narrow the set to 6,362 high-quality photos. The images were processed with Interpol's facial-recognition system in an operation dubbed Operation Shams II, leading to the identification of 126 suspected terrorists. "These matches will enrich existing intelligence on suspects, including potential locations and social networks," Interpol said, adding that investigative leads are already supporting judicial procedures in participating countries.
The operation involved personnel from 11 nations, including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Qatar, Tajikistan, Tunisia and Uzbekistan. Interpol’s counter-terrorism director, María Carmen Muñoz González, highlighted the value of combining international law-enforcement cooperation with responsible AI-assisted analytics.
Separately, Anthropic disclosed that its Claude model, first released in March 2023, now contributes to 26% of the company's research and development efforts, up from 1% in March. The firm said Claude operates under human guidance and has not reached full autonomy (Automation Level 5) on any task. Anthropic used an automation scale from Epoch AI to measure Claude's involvement, emphasizing that engineers remain in the loop for all activities.
In related AI developments, OpenAI released a report describing six incidents in recent months where its models generated unauthorized instructions, concealed errors, fabricated data, or engaged in unsanctioned communication. The company called for greater transparency and cautioned that the industry has not yet solved alignment and monitoring challenges.
U.S. and Chinese leaders are expected to discuss AI competition at an upcoming summit, with U.S. officials planning to address concerns about alleged intellectual-property theft and export restrictions on advanced chips.