--- title: "The Department of Homeland Security Wants to Use AI to Train Immigration Officers" description: "The Department of Homeland Security revealed a sweeping AI roadmap. Some of its proposed applications are concerning." date: "2024-03-19" modified: "2024-03-19" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/homeland-security-ai-immigration" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "generative ai" - "the digest" - "us government" --- # The Department of Homeland Security Wants to Use AI to Train Immigration Officers ![The Department of Homeland Security revealed a sweeping AI roadmap. Some of its proposed applications are concerning.]() *\Image: Christian Torres / Anadolu via Getty\* ## DHS.ai The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has unveiled an "[AI roadmap]()," [*The New York Times* reports](). It's the first government department to announce sweeping AI measures, and has partnered with the Silicon Valley firms OpenAI, Meta-formerly-Facebook, and Anthropic to develop AI "pilot programs" to deploy throughout the government agency. Its reason? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. "One cannot ignore it," DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told the *NYT*, "it" being AI. "And if one isn't forward-leaning in recognizing and being prepared to address its potential for good and its potential for harm, it will be too late and that's why we're moving quickly." Sure! But some of the DHS' planned AI integrations range from eyebrow-raising to downright concerning. For example, the agency says it plans to use chatbots to train immigration officials "on how to conduct interviews with applicants for lawful immigration," a use that feels riddled with ethical quandaries. The American immigration system is [notoriously]() [dehumanizing]() as it is; should the DHS seek to use *actual non-human entities* to train officials tasked with interfacing with immigrants? Consider the alarm bells rung. ## Big Ifs The DHS is also reportedly planning to use AI to comb through large amounts of data to develop better disaster-readiness plans. And while that sounds fine at face value, [experts]() [have warned]() that the persistence of harmful biases in AI could negatively impact vulnerable populations during emergencies. (The DHS plans do note that the agency is seeking to build "responsibility" AI that "avoids inappropriate biases," though [that's a lot easier said than done]().) Among other applications, the DHS says it plans to use AI for data retrieval and even as a tool to generate summaries of documents "relevant" to investigations into the trafficking of child abuse materials, humans, and drugs. Again, these are important issues to tackle, and the DHS says that AI's ability to comb through large datasets and find patterns has helped in some of these cases. But given AI's well-documented penchant for [hallucinating](), it's unclear how useful a document-paraphrasing AI might be during the investigative process. That all said, this is a pilot program, and the agency told the *NYT* that it will report the results of its AI attempts at the end of the year. If anything's for sure? The Silicon Valley arms race is evolving into a competition to ink government contracts, and we can likely expect to see more. "We cannot do this alone," Mayorkas told the *NYT*. "We need to work with the private sector on helping define what is responsible use of a generative AI." **More on AI: SXSW** [*Audience Loudly Boos Video about How AI Is Awesome*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()