In the second decade of the 21st century, Big Brother ‘artificial intelligence’ has cruelly flexed its digital muscles and proven yet again it’s far from infallible. A peaceful, heavily-pregnant Nijeer Parks, blissfully unaware of the impending catastrophe, found herself wrenched from her tranquil suburban life and catapulted into the harsh realms of a cold and indifferent justice system. Was she a hardened criminal mastermind?! Far from it. All thanks to unruly artificial intelligence and its rapidly spiralling facial recognition tech.

Some grim evening, a shoplifter committed an uneventful crime in a distant county, a drab thrill for the fool perhaps, a routine patrol call for the men in blue. But then, the plot thickened. The thief hustled to his vehicle and allegedly announced that he had a firearm - the tranquil afternoon turned violently awry! And in the digital soup of erroneous law, it was Nijeer’s mug that the AI system matched. Indeed, a horrific swing of a high-tech hammer, an innocent about to be smashed!

The unsuspecting, 8-month pregnant Nijeer, in the safety of her abode, could hardly fathom the storm blowing her way. A ‘facial recognition’ software scan had identified her from thousands of miles away. Armed officers descended upon her home, arresting her in front of her two bloodied and frightened sons whilst she pleaded her innocence. Histrionics unfolded as blue lights winked grimly in the suburban night.

The stakes only mounted as the supposed crime she was accused of was a carjacking, at gunpoint, no less! Her alibi, impeccable. Yet, it was disregarded, overlooked in the rush of technological marvel. Fast-forward a soul-crushing eleven days in jail, the nightmarish ordeal ended and she was discharged, the damaged yet resilient survivor of an AI nightmare.

Yet, the nightmare lives on as the betrayed Nijeer seeks redress and retribution in the court of law. Still, the trauma chips away at her, a pregnant mother falsely accused and seemingly damned by a faceless machine’s cruel mistake. She is determined to fight back, ready to make those inattentive to her situation pay, and shine a harsh light on the flawed perpetration of AI systems. This morbid tale of artificial intelligence gone awry ought to serve as a stern reminder to us all!