West Midlands police chief apologises after AI error used to justify Maccabi Tel Aviv ban

West Midlands Police Chief Craig Guildford apologized to MPs for presenting incorrect evidence regarding a decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, which was mistakenly generated by AI through Microsoft Copilot.
Guildford admitted that the inclusion of a non-existent match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham in the police intelligence was due to an AI error.
Initially, Guildford claimed that the mistake, which never involved AI, was made by a single individual conducting a Google search.
The false West Ham match information was presented to a security advisory group involved in determining the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending a European League match against Aston Villa.
Guildford expressed a “profound apology” for the error, clarifying his previous understanding that the match information was sourced from a Google search and that there was no intention to mislead the committee.
The incident precedes Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s statement to MPs about a report investigating the decision to ban the fans, conducted by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.

West Midlands police chief apologises after AI error used to justify Maccabi Tel Aviv ban | Police