Increased monitoring has sparked concern among privacy experts who say the rapidly advancing technology is 'deeply concerning'.
Residents strolling through city streets may soon be heavily monitored under a proposed plan by council.
The City of Sydney is reportedly considering a major upgrade to its street surveillance network by adding AI technology, giving authorities a closer look at what's happening on the ground in real time.
Various councils across Queensland are already relying heavily on powerful technology to monitor suburban streets, a move Queensland Council for Civil Liberties president Michael Cope told Yahoo News Australia was "deeply concerning".
In Sydney, that means using software "that can help identify public safety risks," a City of Sydney spokeswoman told News.com.au.
How will the AI-powered CCTV cameras work?
Already, about 100 CCTV cameras are operating across the CBD, scanning the streets 24/7.
Under the plan, added AI would scan footage for unusual activity, including crowds gathering, vehicles traveling in the wrong direction or suspicious items being left behind, 7News reported.
It will allegedly include a "search tool" capable of identifying sex, age, colour of clothes, hair colour, and whether someone is wearing a backpack or bag.
The City of Sydney has reportedly ruled out facial recognition technology and said human operators would also retain control of the cameras, verifying any alerts that come through.
The proposal will be put to the public before any final decisions are made.
Should Aussies be concerned?
According to Cope, Australia could soon reach a "point of no return" on surveillance. He previously raised concerns about the rapidly evolving technology our country is increasingly relying on.
He said people have legitimate reasons for wanting their movements to remain private, with several Queensland councils turning to increased monitoring.
"This is fundamentally wrong because lots of people have things that they want to hide," he told Yahoo News Australia.
"They don't want to be photographed going to visit a psychiatrist. They don't want to be photographed visiting a weight loss clinic.
"There are all sorts of things that people do, which have no nefarious purpose whatsoever, but they don't want other people to know about."