In yet another escalation of the march toward technocratic dystopia, the FBI is seeking to acquire AI surveillance drones with facial recognition capabilities. The Intercept reported that last week, the agency published a "Request for Information" regarding "artificial intelligence solutions for UAS," or unmanned aerial systems.

The document announces that "The Government would like to know which firms can provide" artificial intelligence and machine learning "solutions" for UAS platforms. The document lists desired features of such technology, including "Object detection: Vehicles, Vessels, People, Animals, Firearms," "License plate recognition," and "facial recognition," among other capabilities.

Federal law enforcement agencies have conducted aerial surveillance on the domestic population before, especially during protests. Local law enforcement agencies are adopting drones, as well. However, the FBI's new request for information on UAS capabilities aligns with a broader effort to integrate artificial intelligence and biometrics into government tools and operations.

Constructing the AI digital prison

The Trump administration has accelerated previous efforts to expand the use of AI from the Pentagon and CIA to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). These developments often go hand in hand with surveillance. A contract inked during Trump's first administration launched the construction of AI surveillance towers along the border during Biden's administration. Earlier this year, Palantir earned a contract with ICE to build an "Immigration OS" AI surveillance system. The CIA-backed company has extensive reach in the halls of power—for example, it partnered with the CDC to build a data collection system during COVID.

The news of the FBI's interest in AI surveillance drones came around the same time as a recent announcement from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who touted a billion-dollar expansion of TSA "screening technology." DHS is also currently pushing to advance the congressionally required biometric entry/exit system for foreign visitors that Trump sought to complete in his first term. In another advancement of biometrics, the TSA may soon offer biometric scanning for those who still don't have a REAL ID— identification that meets federal security standards.

Some Americans seem comfortable with such tools being used against "illegals" (citing the flimsy logic that people don't have rights unless the government deems them worthy via citizenship status). But surveillance tools are unsurprisingly used beyond immigration enforcement as federal agencies expand their reach.