FBI director: AI helped locate 6,300 missing children

FBI Director Kash Patel wrote that a recent expansion of artificial intelligence tools helped identify and locate 6,300 missing children last year and contributed to 2,000 arrests. He said the technology sped case processing and improved the bureau’s ability to detect threats.

Patel described a modernization effort launched when he and then-Deputy Director Dan Bongino took leadership roles at FBI headquarters. He wrote that the agency created an AI working group, appointed a chief AI officer, set up an AI review board and partnered with private companies to upgrade internal systems and investigative tools.

Patel outlined everyday uses for the tools at the National Threat Operations Center. New software transcribes incoming calls, summarizes potential threats, compares tips with existing cases and ranks leads by severity. He wrote that those functions helped agents stop a planned mass shooting at a preschool in North Carolina.

The bureau has also used AI to detect altered fingerprints and to speed review of large volumes of digital evidence. Patel noted the FBI processed more than 75 terabytes of material collected after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.

In one listed example, the Child Exploitation Operational Unit used facial recognition in a Richmond case to locate and remove an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old from an alleged abuser who faces a 50-year prison term. Patel wrote the bureau achieved a 30% increase in children located and a 20% increase in arrests of alleged abusers compared with an earlier period.

Civil liberties and privacy advocates have raised concerns about the expanded use of AI by law enforcement. Critics warn that facial recognition and automated threat assessments can introduce bias, produce false matches and increase government surveillance. Privacy advocate Naomi Brockwell warned that AI can be used to sort and rank people and to build detailed profiles.

Lawmakers have proposed new limits on federal use of AI-assisted surveillance. Representatives Thomas Massie and Lauren Boebert introduced a bill that would require warrants for federal agencies to access Americans’ digital data when using AI-supported surveillance tools.

The FBI’s AI expansion is part of a broader federal push to adopt commercial artificial intelligence in defense and intelligence work. Patel argued the bureau must keep pace with technological change to support investigators. He wrote, “We are not replacing humans; we’re supplementing them, sharpening their focus and expediting the pace of our investigations.”

Debate continues in courts and on Capitol Hill over rules and safeguards for government use of AI. Civil liberties groups have called for stronger oversight and transparency about how tools are trained, validated and used, while federal agencies proceed with new systems intended to accelerate casework and threat response.