The author studies the possibilities of using information technologies in the production of preliminary investigations. The conclusion is substantiated that any neural network is capable of operating only with formalized, mathematically represented data. Artificial intelligence cannot possess the moral qualities that are so necessary for a law enforcement officer in criminal proceedings. At the same time, the advantages of artificial intelligence in relation to forensic methods and evidence in criminal cases are described. The proposed approach can be implemented only after resolving the conceptual and normative problems in the current model of criminal procedure and preliminary investigation. These are examined considering the experience of the pre-revolutionary and Soviet periods of our country’s development, and are analyzed through the lens of the mixed and adversarial types (forms) of criminal procedure. Consequently, a conclusion is drawn regarding the danger of shaping the developmental trajectory of Russian criminal proceedings within the framework of the Anglo-Saxon framework, and the expediency of developing and implementing an authentic model of preliminary investigation (and criminal procedure as a whole) in the spirit of Continental legal traditions. Only after this should the capabilities of artificial intelligence be applied to forensic methods and to the investigator’s evidentiary work, which will serve to improve the quality of his work and strengthen the guarantees of fair justice in general.