A man participates in a polygraph test, with results seen on a computer monitor. The Department of Defense is planning to invest $30 million in an AI-assisted polygraph system, but critics note that it will be built on the same flawed measurements as earlier polygraphs. (Shutterstock/Gorodenkoff)

The Pentagon Is Betting $30 Million on AI-Assisted Lie Detectors

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Though polygraph tests have long since fallen out of favor in the justice system, they are still widely used by the US government for the security clearance process.

Scientific evidence has shown repeatedly that polygraph tests are not a reliable or valid way to detect deception. The machines—more commonly known as “lie detectors”—were first developed more than a century ago, and measure general stress rather than truthfulness. This means the test is far from bulletproof in detecting deception; a skilled liar can easily beat the test, while a nervous truth-teller can fail it.

The US military and civilian court systems do not allow polygraph tests to be admitted as evidence in trials. However, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) maintains that polygraphs are useful in screening personnel. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DSCA), the largest federal agency within the Pentagon, employs polygraphs in the security clearance process, for personnel vetting, and in counterintelligence investigations. Indeed, as recently as August, Pentagon investigators reportedly administered the tests to roughly 50 members of the military’s Joint Staff in an attempt to find the source of classified leaks.

Now, the Department of Defense is now looking for a new version that could be empowered with artificial intelligence. The Pentagon is planning to invest upwards of $30.3 million over the next five years to develop an improved version of the lie detector—with a brand name that sounds like a new streaming service!

“The program, called ‘Polygraph ’ or ‘Polygraph Next,’ will focus on scoring algorithms that use AI and machine learning, as well as a technique called ‘standoff sensing,’ which........

© The National Interest