Controversy in France over AI-assisted Olympics surveillance

French government plans to trial surveillance cameras upgraded with artificial intelligence at the 2024 Paris Olympics have opponents fuming at what they say is unnecessary and dangerous security overreach. While the government says such systems are needed to manage millions-strong crowds and spot potential dangers, critics see the law--adopted Thursday--as a gift to French industry at the cost of vital civil liberties. Last week, around 40 mostly left-leaning members of the European Parliament warned in an open letter to French lawmakers that the plan "creates a surveillance precedent never before seen in Europe", daily Le Monde reported. Debates kicked off late Monday in the National Assembly, France's lower parliamentary chamber, and the move--an article of a wide-ranging bill on the Olympics--was overwhelmingly approved despite strong opposition from left-wing MPs. Even before the debates, MPs had filed 770 amendments to the Olympics security bill, many aimed at Article Seven.