The US Department of Defense announced a $30.3 million investment over five years to develop an AI-enhanced lie detection system called Polygraph+. The project, known as Polygraph+ or Polygraph Next, aims to modernize federal polygraph and credibility assessment technologies through artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The budget document, first reported by Inside Defense, outlines the initiative to improve the accuracy and reliability of lie detection methods. The project will be managed by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), which is responsible for background checks for the federal government.
Polygraph+ will focus on scoring algorithms that use artificial intelligence and a technique called standoff sensing, which allows for physiological readings without attaching devices to subjects. The DCSA did not respond to requests for more information, and it remains unclear which specific technologies will be used.
According to Kyri Kotsoglou, a professor at Northumbria Law School, the effort to reduce the complex to something tangible is misguided. "It’s a misguided effort to reduce the complex to something that is tangible," said Kotsoglou, who studies the use of polygraphs in the justice system.
The initiative comes amid high tension within the Pentagon, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth increasing reliance on polygraph tests to find sources of leaks. In September, the New York Times reported that around 50 officers on the Joint Staff had been given polygraph tests after news coverage reported on depleted US weapons stockpiles in the war with Iran.
Current polygraph technology, which has barely changed since the 1920s, relies on physiological responses to determine if someone is lying. However, the polygraph has been repeatedly debunked, and its results are rarely admissible in court. The 2003 National Research Council report noted that evidence on its efficacy was "weak at best".
Source: mittr
