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Authorities are always looking for ways to make sure drugs don’t enter the country or your neighborhood. Agencies are now turning to artificial intelligence to help us stay safe, especially at the southern border. That’s where Border Patrol agents found almost 99% of fentanyl smuggled into the United States.
Representation of the data that is disseminated (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
A drug like fentanyl can be almost impossible to find simply using orthodox methods. To help, the government is expanding a $9 million contract awarded to a global supply chain startup platform. Arbor use an artificial intelligence tool to track fentanyl production.
Data image on computer screen (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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How AI is being used to track fentanyl production
Altana uses artificial intelligence to track companies that manufacture ingredients used to make fentanyl. It also keeps track of where those ingredients are sent. Agents can then use that information to shut down production and distribution networks of the deadly synthetic opioid.
The company incorporates all this information into a constantly growing knowledge map. While we don’t know exactly how Altana tracks those companies, it does show the relationship between suppliers and manufacturers. It even shows billions of transactions. It works very similar to the startup’s efforts to clue estate which were made using forced labor.
barbed wire image (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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How AI is helping border patrol seize fentanyl and arrest traffickers
The Border Patrol has seen results using artificial intelligence technology. According to Customs and Border Protection reports, agents have carried out two massive missions since hiring Altana in July.
One resulted in 13,000 pounds of the ingredients used in the production of fentanyl seized. Agents arrested 284 people and confiscated 10,000 pounds of fentanyl in another.
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Kurt’s Key Takeaways
The fact that Altana can create an ever-growing map showing suppliers and manufacturers using public data is mind-blowing. That’s something that would be ridiculously difficult to achieve without AI and would also require enormous amounts of manpower. Furthermore, we are already seeing results. But I have to wonder if this can be exploited. Can fentanyl manufacturers and distributors obtain this information? If so, how would they use it? Is there even any use for them?
What do you think about law enforcement using AI? How else would you like to see government agencies use AI to help with our security? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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