DHS Launches Artificial Intelligence Task Force, New Efforts on China Security

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a burgeoning area of technology, that has exploded in the mainstream in recent months, thanks to technology like ChatGPT. But with the new potential, comes potential danger, particularly on the security front.

With this exponential growth in AI, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just announced that it is creating an internal Artificial Intelligence Task Force (AITF), to stay ahead of the curve.

In a memo, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas writes that AI “will drastically alter the threat landscape and augment the arsenal of tools we possess to succeed in the face of the threats.”

The task force begins with the following four priority areas:

·         Trade: Integrate AI to enhance the integrity of supply chains and the broader trade environment. Deploy AI to screen cargo, identify goods produced with forced labor, and manage risk.

·         Drugs: Leverage AI to fight the flow of fentanyl in the U.S. by exploring the use of AI to better detect fentanyl shipments, intercept the flow of precursor chemicals, and target criminal networks for disruption.

·         Online child sexual exploitation and abuse: Apply AI to digital forensic tools to identify, locate, and rescue victims, and use AI to identify and apprehend perpetrators.

·         Assess the impact of AI on the ability to secure critical infrastructure by working with partners in government, industry, and academia.

Secretary Mayorkas asked Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov and DHS Chief Information Officer (CIO) Eric Hysen to co-chair AITF, which will be set up for one year with the possibility of extension.

Secretary Mayorkas ordered the task force to report within 45 days a concept of operations including milestones for advancing the four priority initiatives. Every 60 days after that the task force must issue a progress report on the four priority initiatives.

The task force is also responsible for reviewing and implementing the Homeland Security Advisory Council’s (HSAC) upcoming findings and recommendations on the intersection of AI and homeland security. 

“Our Department will lead in the responsible use of AI to secure the homeland and in defending against the malicious use of this transformational technology. As we do this, we will ensure that our use of AI is rigorously tested to avoid bias and disparate impact, and is clearly explainable to the people we serve,” stated Secretary Mayorkas.

Countering the People’s Republic of China (PRC)

On the same day he announced the task force, Secretary Mayorkas also announced efforts to counter the PRC.

The secretary announced a 90-day sprint to assess how threats posted by China will evolve and how DHS can be best positioned to guard against them. Those include assessing defenses of critical infrastructure and bolstering screening and vetting to identify illicit travelers from the PRC.

“The People’s Republic of China poses an especially grave threat to the homeland, one that indeed does touch all of our Department’s missions,” said Secretary Mayorkas.


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