Israeli AI Tech Aims to Detect Terrorists Via Smartphone
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
Israeli company SDS has developed TruthAI, an AI system that screens airline personnel for potential threats via smartphone by analyzing their responses to questions. The technology aims to address internal security risks within flight crews, a persistent challenge in aviation highlighted by past disasters. While the system offers contactless screening, it faces accuracy issues and significant privacy and regulatory hurdles in the U.S. and Europe, though it is being considered for future use in Israel and has seen adoption in parts of Asia.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israeli company SDS has launched TruthAI, an AI system to detect potential threats among airline staff using smartphone-based psychophysiological analysis.
- The technology aims to address the challenge of internal threats within flight crews, a problem highlighted by past aviation disasters.
- TruthAI analyzes user responses to questions via mobile app, comparing them to a database to identify suspects without physical contact.
- The system has a 4% false positive rate and a 10% false negative rate, raising concerns about its accuracy.
- Significant privacy regulations in the U.S. and Europe, such as GDPR, hinder the international adoption of such AI screening tools.
- Despite challenges, the technology is being explored for future use in Israel and has seen some adoption in East Asia.
Following a recent security incident on a Fly Dubai flight to Israel, where the quick thinking of the pilot and passengers averted a potential disaster, the question of how to identify threats from within flight crews has resurfaced. In response, Israeli company SDS has unveiled an artificial intelligence system designed to screen employees via smartphone without physical contact, identifying potential suspects within minutes.
The incident highlighted a persistent challenge in aviation security: while ground screenings can prevent weapons and explosives from boarding, they struggle to predict when a vetted crew member might pose an internal threat. History offers grim examples, including the 2015 Germanwings crash, the 1999 EgyptAir crash, and the 2013 LAM flight crash, all attributed to deliberate actions by crew members. These events underscore the inadequacy of periodic checks against real-time threats originating from within the cockpit.
SDS's new system, TruthAI, utilizes a mobile application where individuals answer questions by tapping the screen. A machine learning algorithm analyzes psychophysiological and cognitive responses, comparing them to a large database to determine if the person is a suspect. The technology is an evolution of the company's older COGITO system, originally developed after the 9/11 attacks with funding from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), but now adapted for contactless screening on any mobile device.
However, the technology faces significant scientific and practical hurdles. The system's accuracy is not perfect, with a 4% false positive rate (innocent people flagged) and a 10% false negative rate (actual threats missed). Internationally, privacy concerns and regulations pose major obstacles. In the U.S., federal administrations have blocked the use of such psychophysiological screening tools due to civil liberties and privacy concerns. In Europe, GDPR and the EU AI Act largely prohibit AI systems that analyze emotions and psychological states in public spaces and workplaces, deeming them high-risk.
Despite these challenges, SDS is participating in an Israeli Finance Ministry project to explore contactless security screening technologies for border crossings. While East Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia have shown more openness to autonomous screening systems, and China extensively uses facial and behavioral analysis, the global adoption of mobile lie detection technology remains uncertain. It may be adopted by specific countries or companies based on local legal frameworks, rather than becoming a universal aviation standard.
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