DHS and Artificial Intelligence for Communication

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using artificial intelligence tools from Google and Adobe to produce and edit videos for public dissemination. The news emerges from an official document listing the commercial AI tools used by DHS for various activities, from drafting documents to managing cybersecurity.

Details on the Use of AI Tools

According to the document, DHS uses Google's Veo 3 video generator and Adobe Firefly for editing images, videos, and other communication materials. It is estimated that the agency has between 100 and 1,000 licenses for these tools. DHS also uses Microsoft Copilot Chat for generating draft documents and summarizing reports, as well as Poolside software for development tasks.

Context and Implications

The use of these AI tools raises questions about the origin of content shared online by agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Some of this content, particularly videos, appears to be AI-generated, but until now it was unclear which models were actually used. The news represents the first concrete confirmation of the use of AI generators by DHS for the creation of public content.

Reactions and Considerations

Workers at technology companies such as Google and Adobe have expressed concerns regarding the use of such tools by government agencies. It remains difficult to verify with certainty which AI tool was used to create a particular content, or whether the content was generated via AI. Adobe offers the option to insert "watermarks" in videos created with its tools to indicate their AI-generated nature, but this indication does not always remain intact when the content is shared on different platforms.