By Hannah L. Prescott, Metro Civic Report, Midston

MIDSTON — City officials in Midston have begun quietly testing an artificial intelligence system designed to predict where protests are likely to occur before permits are filed, a move authorities say is meant to improve public safety but that civil liberties advocates warn could chill free expression.

The pilot program, confirmed by city officials this week, uses historical protest data, social media trends, traffic patterns, and event schedules to forecast potential demonstration hotspots days in advance. The system then flags streets and public spaces for increased staffing and logistical planning.

“This is about preparation, not prevention,” said Deputy City Manager Alan Reeves, who oversees public safety coordination. “When we know where large crowds might gather, we can deploy medical teams, reroute traffic, and reduce the risk of injuries.”

The city stressed that the system does not identify individual protesters and does not authorize police action on its own. Officials described it as a planning tool similar to weather forecasting.

But critics argue the comparison falls short.

“Weather doesn’t have constitutional rights,” said Nadine Alvarez, an attorney with the Arizona Civil Liberties Coalition. “Predicting protests before people even apply for permits raises serious questions about surveillance and preemptive control.”

Documents reviewed by Metro Civic Report show the system was developed in partnership with a private analytics firm and trained on more than a decade of local protest records, including marches related to immigration, policing, labor disputes, and election issues.

City officials acknowledged that the tool can generate false positives, flagging areas where no protest ultimately occurs. They said no enforcement decisions are based solely on the AI’s output.

Some community organizers say they only learned of the program after noticing an increased police presence at recent demonstrations.

“It felt like they were already waiting for us,” said Marcus Hill, an organizer who helped plan a downtown rally last month. “We hadn’t filed anything yet, and there were already barricades staged nearby.”

Reeves denied that the system is used to discourage demonstrations, saying permits are still processed through existing channels and that no applications have been denied based on AI forecasts.

Still, internal city emails show officials discussing how early predictions could help “manage protest impact” on businesses and commuters, language that has drawn scrutiny.

“This kind of tool risks turning dissent into a logistical problem to be solved rather than a right to be protected,” Alvarez said.

City leaders said the pilot will run through the end of the year, after which officials will decide whether to expand or discontinue the program. No vote has been scheduled.

For now, officials say the system remains limited in scope. But advocates warn that even limited use sets a precedent.

“Once you start predicting protest before it exists,” Hill said, “you’re already halfway to deciding how much of it you’re willing to tolerate.”