PHOENIX (AZFamily) \u2014 Federal contractors have started installing a new generation of autonomous surveillance towers with artificial intelligence along the U.S.-Mexico border, but a digital privacy advocate says the technology has a track record of failure and raises concerns about data collection on American citizens.<\/p>\n
About two dozen AI-powered towers from General Dynamics<\/a> are currently deployed along the San Diego stretch of the border.<\/p>\n The towers use technology from Phoenix-based PureTech Systems<\/a> and are designed to identify and track smugglers with minimal human oversight.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re ready to rapidly deploy new autonomous towers at scale to continue strengthening U.S. border security,\u201d Michael Wagner, a vice president in the General Dynamics division that is handling the project, said in a press release.<\/p>\n The towers are designed to monitor 6 to 10 miles of terrain and stand 120 feet or 180 feet tall, depending on the model.<\/p>\n But there are already hundreds of other surveillance towers along the border with a dubious track record, according to Dave Maass, director of investigations for the Electronic Frontier Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on at the border is just extremely expensive theater,\u201d Maass said.<\/p>\n Hundreds of towers mapped across border<\/p>\n On the latest episode of Generation AI, Maass said there are two kinds of AI towers at the border, including in Arizona. The towers use AI to control cameras that categorize objects, tracking people, vehicles and other items from camera to camera using both video and radar.<\/p>\n The Electronic Frontier Foundation has documented at least 585 autonomous surveillance towers along the U.S.-Mexico border, including many in Arizona.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d directed $6 billion toward AI-integrated surveillance towers at the border. Border Patrol recently announced plans to install 1,500 more towers over the next few years, Maass said.<\/p>\n The towers include systems from Anduril, called Sentries, as well as competing models from General Dynamics and Elbit Systems. One Elbit tower is located on the campus of Cochise County Community College.<\/p>\n Maass said border surveillance technology has a pattern of failure. He said programs are rolled out with names like Autonomous Surveillance Towers or the Secure Border Initiative, but inspector general reports or congressional investigations later find them to be a waste of money.<\/p>\n Internal Border Patrol memos revealed in 2024 that 30% of the towers were broken. Maass said the towers have always had problems functioning in desert conditions.<\/p>\n A RAND study funded by the Department of Homeland Security found that in areas with Integrated Fixed Towers, apprehensions actually went down. One Border Patrol official in Tucson said migrants simply walk around the towers.<\/p>\n \u201cNow they\u2019re coming back with the same thing, but saying it\u2019s the same thing plus AI \u2014 as if AI has actually deserved to win anybody\u2019s trust,\u201d Maass said.<\/p>\n Privacy concerns over data collection<\/p>\n For privacy advocates like Maass, the towers represent a 24\/7 intrusion into border communities. He said the towers collect data on people who live at the border rather than people crossing it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe government has sold out American citizens and made us a product that they get for free,\u201d Maass said. \u201cWe\u2019re actually paying Anduril for the privilege of them taking our data.\u201d<\/p>\n The towers are located in public parks, next to communities and over neighborhoods. Maass said AI systems can lead to people being stopped, detained or having their possessions seized based on what the technology identifies as suspicious patterns.<\/p>\n \u201cLiving at the border is not a crime,\u201d Maass said. \u201cTechnology is not going to lessen civil liberties abuses. It\u2019s only going to enhance them. And if you have an agency that\u2019s already abusing its authority, you\u2019re just supercharging it by giving it these AI powers.\u201d<\/p>\n Maass said there are effective techniques for tracking border crossers. Border Patrol still uses a technique of dragging tires behind vehicles to smooth roads, then checking for footprints.<\/p>\n He said that the technique, which only requires ATVs, chains and old tires, is far more cost-effective than spending up to $1.5 million per surveillance tower.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to talk about the track record, if you want to talk about the data, the data shows over the last 25 years that none of this stuff works,\u201d Maass said.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n