London's Metropolitan Police Service says it does not have any records of the outcomes of a facial recognition tie-up with a private firm in the city. Last month, it acknowledged it had shared people's pictures with the managers of the city's King's Cross Estate development. It had previously denied the alliance. In a new report, the Met added that it had only shared seven images and did not believe there had been similar arrangements with other private bodies. It said the pictures were of "persons who had been arrested and charged/cautioned/reprimanded or given a formal warning" and had been provided by Camden Borough Police.

Many fear the potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be weaponised against humanity, but Australian lifesavers are showcasing the positive power of the technology with a drone that can prevent crocodile attacks. On Thursday, lifesavers in Queensland demonstrated how a drone backed by a'CrocSpotter' AI-algorithm can reveal the presence of crocs before they become a danger to humans. Developed by researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in collaboration with Westpac Little Ripper and Amazon Web Services, the technology was initially designed to protect beachgoers from sharks. CrocSpotter and SharkSpotter are two of five'spotter' AI algorithms developed by The Ripper Group and UTS. In 2018, a Westpac Little Ripper drone performed the world's first rescue by a drone at Lennox Head in NSW, dropping an inflatable pod to save two teenagers in massive surf.

King's Cross Central's developers said they wanted facial-recognition software to spot people on the site who had previously committed an offence there. The detail has emerged in a letter one of its managers sent to the London mayor, on 14 August. Sadiq Khan had sought reassurance using facial recognition on the site was legal. Two days before, Argent indicated it was using it to "ensure public safety". On Monday, it said it had now scrapped work on new uses of the technology.

There is growing pressure for more details about the use of facial recognition in London's King's Cross to be disclosed after a watchdog described the deployment as "alarming". Developer Argent has confirmed it uses the technology to "ensure public safety" but did not reveal any details. It raises the issue of how private land used by the public is monitored. The UK's biometrics commissioner said the government needed to update the laws surrounding the technology. Argent is responsible for a 67-acre site close to King's Cross station.