Crime is now a choice that municipalities can opt out of using AI-powered tools like gunshot detection, drones, and license plate cameras at minimal cost — cities that choose not to deploy them are effectively choosing to be pro-crime.

Gavin Baker argues that AI surveillance tools make crime a solvable problem at de minimis cost, and that municipalities that refuse them — like Cambridge turning off gunshot detectors — are making a deliberate choice to allow crime, citing Las Vegas's successful deployment as proof. ✦ AI generated

Gavin Baker · All-In Podcast · 2026-05-22 · original ↗

Crime is now a choice. You know, I think that the Cambridge state has voted to turn off gunshot detectors 2 days ago. So the geniuses coming out of Harvard in that town decided gunshot detection shouldn't occur. It's wild because, you know, there's a theory that it disadvantages, you know, that it might lead to an illegal migrant who's shooting a gun, being apprehended, and we don't want that. And A16Z had a great essay on flock. We can really, really solve crime, and it's just a choice. And different states and municipalities will make different choices to be pro-crime or anti-crime. I'm sure they don't cast it as pro-crime. There's an, you know, some sort of moral or ethical reason. They're making that choice. But people will vote with their feet over time, and then voters will vote with their votes.

verbatim transcript · starts at 33:50