The Department of Homeland Security on Monday released its first roadmap for artificial intelligence to include three pilot projects this year to examine mission benefits for Homeland Security Investigations (HIS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
HIS, which is part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will use a large language model-based system to speed searches for relevant information within investigative reports, with the aim being to increase detections of fentanyl-related networks, help identify offenders and victims of child exploitation crimes, and in general identify patterns and trends that further the agency’s work.
FEMA will use generative AI (GenAI) to help state, local, tribal, and territorial governments better understand how to create hazard mitigation plans, to include identifying risks and strategies based around local and regional needs. DHS said the pilot could eventually help communities submit funding grants to strengthen their resilience.
USCIS will also use GenAI to help train its immigration officers. In this instance, the DHS will use the technology to create “personalized training materials that adapt to officers’ specific needs and ensure the best possible knowledge and training on a wide range of current policies and laws relevant to their jobs.”
The AI Roadmap 2024 includes three lines of effort to guide the department’s work. The first is protecting individuals’ privacy, and civil rights and liberties. Second is to use the technology for safety and security, including protecting cyber networks and critical infrastructure. Finally, the department said it will provide leadership to partner with its wide-ranging stakeholder community “to accelerate the development and deployment of AI solutions tailored to the unique challenges faced by the DHS.”
“The DHS AI roadmap and pilots will guide our efforts this year to strengthen our national security, improve our operations, and provide more efficient services to the American people, while upholding our commitment to protect civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “What we learn from the pilot projects will be beneficial in shaping how the department can effectively and responsibly use AI across the homeland security enterprise moving forward.”