DHS Artificial Intelligence Strategies and Initiatives Gain Momentum

Previously, I have highlighted Navy efforts to develop and deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) and efforts at the Air Force to harness these technologies. Both military departments are pursuing AI and machine learning (AI/ML) capabilities to gain operational advantages and capabilities across multiple areas.

Yet the military is not the only federal department pursuing these emerging technologies. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has multiple strategic and tactical initiatives underway to develop and deploy AI capabilities to increase effectiveness and efficiencies across their diverse mission areas.

DHS’s AI strategic policy development over the last few years, as well as their FY 2025 budget request details at both the department-wide and component levels, provide several AI-related observations and efforts, from the strategic to the tactical. Some of the DHS AI efforts underway include:

• DHS Artificial Intelligence Strategy: DHS’s enterprise AI strategy has set broad, overarching goals and approaches to integrating AI into its operations, with a core objective of leveraging AI for mission outcomes while mitigating its risks and challenges. DHS’ five enterprise goals are: identifying the impacts of AI on the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE); mitigating and managing AI risks to the homeland; investing in AI to enhance mission effectiveness; developing a DHS AI workforce; and inspiring public trust and engagement.
• AI Implementation Roadmap: DHS release its AI Roadmap in March 2024, outlining AI implementation priorities. DHS set goals to leverage AI for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer training; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster preparedness; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officer investigative processes; Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Non-Intrusive Inspection capabilities and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) cybersecurity vulnerability detection and remediation.
• Seeking Creation of a New AI Office: DHS has requested $5.0M for FY 2025 to open an AI Office within the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer. This office will coordinate and advance AI innovation and the responsible use of AI across DHS, including AI risk management. Currently, DHS CIO Eric Hysen also serves as the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO).
• AI Cybersecurity Roadmap: CISA released its first AI Roadmap in late 2023, outlining its efforts to promote the beneficial uses of AI to enhance cybersecurity capabilities, ensure AI systems are protected from cyber-based threats, and deter the malicious use of AI capabilities to threaten U.S. critical infrastructure.
• Automated Airport Screening: DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is investigating an automatic inspection system that would use AI-empowered robotics and machine vision technology for screening explosives and other prohibited items at various DHS operational settings and contexts. Automated threat detection is a major theme in the DHS Innovation, Research & Development (IRD) strategy. S&T’s Transportation Security Lab is working to effectively use synthetic data sets to train AI/ML-driven algorithms for threat detection applications for both people and baggage at airports to increase effectiveness and reduce system development costs.
• Adversarial AI: DHS has been studying the rise of adversarial AI (AAI) threats, including the use of AI for deception that erodes trust in digital content. DHS has published risks and mitigation strategies for AAI threats to inform agencies on the nature of AAI and ways to identify and reduce the risks and impact of this growing occurrence.

Pursuing AI Opportunities at DHS

Many of DHS’s AI efforts, including some of the above examples, may be traced in part to DHS’s Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) AI Mission Focused Subcommittee, which submitted its final report to DHS leadership in September 2023. In addition, the mounting interest at DHS in AI capabilities and safeguards has prompted multiple ways industry may engage with the department and its agencies.

In compliance with Executive Order 13960, Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government, the DHS enterprise and its component agencies maintain a DHS AI Use Case Inventory of non-classified and non-sensitive AI use cases that provide details on their various efforts, some of which may spur potential contract opportunities.

For companies interested in additional opportunities to contribute to AI innovation, DHS’s S&T directorate provides a variety of opportunities for industry engagement, including requests for information (RFIs), requests for proposals (RFPs), grants announcements and other funded and unfunded opportunities, including partnerships. Many of these opportunities may be of interest to small businesses and/or innovative start-ups.

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For more information on DHS and other federal AI-related policy, acquisition and technology initiatives driving Deltek’s 5-year federal AI market forecast, see our report, Federal Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market, 2024-2028.