How could emerging technologies, such as AI, help to detect and disrupt economic crime?

Background

Alongside the more specific categories for further research, there are some cross-cutting themes where the research questions and gaps are relevant across economic crime as a whole.

This includes how best to understand and respond to the threat as technology develops quickly. For example, how might this technology development influence the response required. There are also gaps in the best research methods to understand economic crime as a whole; for example, around best identification and utilisation of suitable data sources.

Finally, horizon scanning is crucial to maintaining sight of how the threat may evolve and how best to prepare for mitigating that in the future.

Next steps

Get in touch with NECC-IF-Research@nca.gov.uk EconomicCrimeResearch@homeoffice.gov.uk

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

Economic Crime Areas of Research Interest ARI report July 2025 1

Topics

No topics assigned yet

Research fields

No research fields assigned yet

Related UKRI funded projects

  • RedFlag - A revolutionary AI powered platform to detect financial crime

    Themis is a UK-based Financial Crime Fintech BCorp SME forging a revolutionary Alerting Platform (RedFlag). RedFlag will be a key enabler in detecting and reporting fraudulent and suspicious or criminal financial activit...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project specifically focuses on using AI to detect financial crime, with expertise in financial crime analysis and technology leadership.

  • Synalogik: Identifying and tackling Criminal Activist Finances (CAF) through investigation automation.

    SYNALOGiK Innovative Solutions Limited is a UK based technology company, founded by experts in data science, intelligence, security and investigation. The company has a vision to tackle the increasing challenge of counte...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project addresses the detection of criminal activist finances through automation, aligning with the question's focus on using AI to detect economic crime.

  • Strategic Hub for Organised Crime Research

    In December 2014, RUSI launched a Strategic Hub for Organised Crime Research to develop a world class research agenda that meets the needs of policymakers. With the support of government agencies and Research Councils UK...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project focuses on understanding and responding to organized crime, which is a form of economic crime, but does not specifically address the role of emerging technologies like AI.

  • Financial crime vaccines

    Trustworthy AI is a set of principles and practices to ensure that AI systems are transparent, unbiased, and reliable. In financial crime analytics, AI-based solutions are increasingly used to detect fraudulent activitie...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project focuses on trustworthy AI in financial crime analytics, which is related to the question but does not directly address the use of AI to detect economic crime.

  • ARtificial IntelligencE in fighting illicit drugs production and traffickiNg

    ARIEN proposes the execution of a comprehensive workplan that thoroughly addresses the call topic aligned to the 2021-2025 EU Drugs Action Plan (DAP) achieved through a holistic innovation action that builds a real-time ...

    Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee

  • ENhanced AI-baSEd cybercriMe-oriented collaBorative investigation technologies and capabiLitiEs (ENSEMBLE)

    Technology advancements enhance everyday life, but they also provide numerous opportunities for the proliferation of advanced cybercrimes, which, via innovative tactics and techniques, pose serious security and financial...

    Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee

  • CRITiCaL - Combatting cRiminals In The CLoud

    The Cloud is an emerging technology that offers democratic access to computing power, data storage, software and services often for a small pay-per-use cost. Like any new technology the Cloud has potential for great good...

    Funded by: EPSRC

  • FRAUDSIM: A fraud control optimisation tool for readjustment to the new normal

    The importance for our society to reduce criminal profit and deter future generations from finding financial crime as a rewarding lifestyle is one of the key aspects that we are envisioning to contribute with this projec...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

  • FinTech digital solution to prevent online payments to criminal traders

    Governments and regulators set the rules of engagement for economic growth, environmental protection and funding of public services. Law enforcement agencies & the legal system ensures compliance. The majority of go...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

  • Predictive analytics and Policing: Translating cutting-edge academic research into actionable intelligence and developing useable software tools

    Summary Criminological research has for some time focused on the types of people that commit crime and why they might do so. However, over the last decade, there has been substantial progress in research concerned with ...

    Funded by: ESRC

Similar ARIs from other organisations

Protection of infrastructure, transport, crowded and open places Opportunities and capabilities to intervene and mitigate risks. Home Office, 2019
See details