&gt; <i>If Echelon were an independently operating AI system that had algorithms that identified criminal activity, then used soft paternalism in the form coercing unaware law enforcement personnel into making &quot;chance&quot; encounters with would-be criminals (random traffic stop, or passing them by on the street), the psychology of the criminal would be to stop doing whatever their doing because they feel more watched when they are doing said crime; although the law enforcement agent may never be directly aware of the criminals communications or conduct. </i><p>You just described the main antagonist (&quot;Samaritan&quot;) in the show <i>Person of Interest</i>. It is a rogue AI that records everything, determines threat level, then &quot;nudges&quot; police and even private citizens to take action against what it sees as a threat (in this show, the protagonists trying to stop the evil organization using the neutral Samaritan for evil deeds). Samaritan itself isn&#x27;t evil, but in the hands of tyrannical masters, it is a deadly weapon and nearly a god (omnipresent, omniscient and almost omnipotent).<p>This show has been riding the cutting edge of real life espionage and rogue government programs since it debuted.