Artificial Intelligence in Forensic Science: An Important Opportunity for Challenging Environments

This chapter suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) will transform forensic science by standardizing procedures, expediting evidence analysis, and synthesizing diverse data sources into unified intelligence. Applying recent interdisciplinary research and a 2025 symposium on AI in forensics, the authors outline three key applications: resource allocation, prioritization of cases and evidence, and integration of multimodal traces for pattern recognition. AI serves as an adjunct rather than a substitute for expert judgment, especially in repetitive and highly regulated activities. The chapter contextualizes AI in relation to the ideals of the Sydney Declaration, highlighting scientific rigor, transparency, and operational skepticism. It warns against opaque “black box” implementations and emphasizes ethical problems associated with responsibility, bias, and professional displacement. When effectively regulated, AI may reconcile norms and innovations, elevating quality in regions without formal accreditation by augmenting repeatability, documentation, and traceability, while maintaining human oversight as a priority.