London’s most prominent police force is considering a major AI upgrade that could change how crimes are investigated across the capital, and raise concerns about who handles the country’s most sensitive data. The Met Police has reportedly been in talks with the controversial Big Tech Palantir Technologies, according to The Guardian, about deploying its AI tools to automate intelligence analysis. The systems were shown to senior offices last month as part of a productivity push, in a move that could ultimately change case-building and emergency response times for London commuters caught up in incidents.
However, internal concerns have already been flagged about allowing a private, US-based firm, whose clients include the Israel Defence Force and US immigration and customs enforcement under president Trump, to process such sensitive information. But Palantir already has a foothold in Scotland Yard, with the Met confirming its use of the firm’s AI tools in a pilot scheme to analyse internal staff data earlier this year. Said programme sparked various backlash from rank-and-file officers, with the Police Federation raising concerns against what it dubbed as “automated suspicion”.
A spokesperson said that “officers must not be subjected to opaque or untested tools”. Public sector doubles down on AI The talks follow ramped up pressure on UK police forces to embrace AI “at pace and at scale”, with home secretary Shabana Mahmood recently backing a £115m investment into policing tech. For London locals, the aim is to facilitate faster investigations, fewer delays, and ultimately, more criminals caught.
But Palantir’s expanding UK presence, spanning deals with NHS and the Ministry of Defence, has already triggered political scrutiny – and its public contracts are now worth over £500m. Last week, MPs called for the NHS to scrap a £330m Palantir deal over privacy concerns and the firm’s political links, which was only intensified after the firm published a controversial manifesto online, branded by members of parliament as “the ramblings of a super villain”. The firm was co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, a prominent Trump supporter.
However, smaller constabularies like Bedfordshire Police already use the systems, and have claimed they do improve investigations. For now, no deal has been confirmed. City AM has approached the Met and Palantir for comment.