Research Project
ARIEN: an AI platform to combat illegal drug trafficking
A multidisciplinary platform that generates strategic recommendations to shape an agenda dedicated to developing AI solutions, ensuring full legal and ethical compliance.
Where: international
Where: international
Challenge
The 2021-2025 Strategy and Action Plan aim to combat illicit drug trafficking in Europe. Despite progress, the phenomenon is growing in both spread and complexity, involving both organized criminal groups and lone criminals. The issue is characterized by the increasingly widespread use of digital channels and the dark web, a trend exacerbated by the pandemic and likely to persist in the future.
Approach
In this context, the role of law enforcement authorities and border guards is crucial for identifying and intervening against criminal organizations. However, these authorities require new technological tools, supported by effective artificial intelligence techniques, and an improved regulatory framework to conduct intelligence and investigative activities effectively.
ARIEN proposes a work plan, aligned with the aforementioned European Action Plan, which utilizes AI to combat illegal drug production and trafficking in real-time.
Digital Ecosystem
Solution
Digital Ecosystem
The project involves multidisciplinary research, AI-based tools, and cooperation among law enforcement agencies to monitor online drug markets and address emerging threats. ARIEN harmonizes recommendations and develops modular solutions to combat organized crime networks linked to drug trafficking. Engineering is the project coordinator, responsible for the framework architecture, the AI-driven intelligence picture on drug production and trafficking, as well as for the analysis of the drug market on the darknet. Several assets developed within the context of Engineering R&I are employed in the project, including ATLANTIS, the AI-driven platform facilitating drug intelligence activities.
ARIEN is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101121329.
Results
Improvement of the intelligence picture
Effective strategies for international cooperation
Impacts
Technologies
AI & Advanced Analytics
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