DHS Official Discuss Responsible AI Adoption Challenges

The Department of Homeland Security is facing challenges in adopting artificial intelligence in a transparent and responsible manner, particularly in DHS areas where operations and public information sharing are more discreet.

At the recent CrowdStrike Gov Threat Summit, Eric Hysen, chief information officer for the DHS, said ensuring the transparent and responsible use of AI applications is critical to law enforcement and national security environments since such settings are often subject to public scrutiny.

Hysen, however, noted that other DHS elements do not prioritize building and maintaining the public’s trust in their AI-related operations, FedScoop reported.

According to Hysen, the DHS is facing a big cultural challenge in reorienting how its personnel think about privacy, civil rights and transparency. The CIO noted that the agency units should consider AI protections early on in the adoption process instead of adding them later, citing AI risks present in their mission spaces.  

The agency is hiring 50 AI experts to support the responsible development and adoption of AI. Hysen said the new hires will be part of a new DHS AI Corp.