The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released its first comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) roadmap, detailing current and future uses of AI within the agency, including initiatives such as tracking suspicious vehicle patterns and leveraging generative AI.
Department of Homeland Security Unveils AI Roadmap
On March 18, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its first comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) roadmap, outlining the agency’s current and future AI uses and strategies. This roadmap introduces a forthcoming DHS-wide policy directive on AI, new AI security guidance from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and a detailed report on AI risks from the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office.
Several applications of AI within the DHS are highlighted, such as tracking suspicious vehicle patterns at the border and assessing post-disaster building damage. The roadmap also discusses leveraging generative AI and language models. Notable initiatives include an AI sandbox for experimenting with large language models and the potential use of AI to train U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers. Additionally, Homeland Security Investigations plans to use AI for document analysis in investigations, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) aims to employ generative AI for creating community resilience mitigation plans.
A key feature of the roadmap is a new working group within the Science and Technology Directorate, which will produce an action plan addressing algorithm training, pilot programs, and countering AI-enabled adversaries. The directorate will also establish a testbed to provide independent assessments of AI applications.
DHS continues to expand its AI expertise, recently announcing the hiring of 50 new AI experts for its AI Corps. This follows the establishment of an AI task force and guidance on using AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Dall-E, from the previous year. DHS has also been updating its AI inventory, which has been critiqued by the Government Accountability Office.
Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas emphasized the dual nature of AI, stating it offers both significant opportunities and risks.
With these strategic initiatives, DHS aims to enhance its mission capabilities while addressing the associated risks of AI technology.
