There appears to be some hesitation within the forensic biology community to formally evaluate and report on findings given activity level propositions. This hesitance in part stems from concerns about the lack of relevant data on the dynamics of biological traces and doubt about the relevance of such expert opinions to the trier of fact. At the Netherlands Forensic Institute formal evaluative opinions on the probability of case findings given propositions at the activity level are provided since 2013, if requested by a mandating authority. In this study we share the results from a retrospective analysis of 74 of such requests. We explore which party initiates requests, the types of cases that are submitted, the sources of data being used to assign probabilities to DNA transfer, persistence, prevalence and recovery (TPPR) events, the conclusions that were drawn by the scientists, and how the conclusions were used by the courts. This retrospective analysis of cases demonstrates that published sources of data are generally available and can be used to address DNA TPPR events in most cases, although significant gaps still remain. The study furthermore shows that reporting on forensic biology findings given activity level propositions has been generally accepted by the district and appeal courts, as well as the other parties in the criminal justice system in the Netherlands.
Our current smart society, where problems and frictions are smoothed out with smart, often invisible technology like AI and smart sensors, calls for designers who unravel and open the smart fabric. Societies are not malleable, and moreover, a smooth society without rough edges is neither desirable nor livable. In this paper we argue for designing friction to enhance a more nuanced debate of smart cities in which conflicting values are better expressed. Based on our experiences with the Moral Design Game, an adversarial design activity, we came to understand the value of creating tangible vessels to highlight conflict and dipartite feelings surrounding smart cities.
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The aim of this research/project is to investigate and analyze the opportunities and challenges of implementing AI technologies in general and in the transport and logistics sectors. Also, the potential impacts of AI at sectoral, regional, and societal scales that can be identified and chan- neled, in the field of transport and logistics sectors, are investigated. Special attention will be given to the importance and significance of AI adoption in the development of sustainable transport and logistics activities using intelligent and autonomous transport and cleaner transport modalities. The emphasis here is therefore on the pursuit of ‘zero emissions’ in transport and logistics at the urban/city and regional levels.Another goal of this study is to examine a new path for follow-up research topics related to the economic and societal impacts of AI technology and the adoption of AI systems at organizational and sectoral levels.This report is based on an exploratory/descriptive analysis and focuses mainly on the examination of existing literature and (empirical) scientific research publica- tions, previous and ongoing AI initiatives and projects (use cases), policy documents, etc., especially in the fields of transport and logistics in the Netherlands. It presents and discusses many aspects of existing challenges and opportunities that face organizations, activities, and individuals when adopting AI technology and systems.