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Imagine driving across the country, enjoying a road trip and minding your own business, only to get pulled over because AI decided your route looked suspicious. That's what one Virginia woman says happened to her, and privacy advocates warn that similar encounters could become more common.

According to a new report released on Monday from the American Civil Liberties Union , police are using automated license plate readers and AI-powered analysis more often to identify drivers based on their travel patterns, even when there's no evidence they've committed a crime.

The technology can piece together where a vehicle has traveled, how often it visits certain locations and whether its movements fit patterns investigators consider suspicious.

While license plate readers have been used for years to identify stolen vehicles and help solve crimes, AI is making it possible to analyze much larger collections of driving data.…