GoKawiilMIT Tech Review probe finds deadly gaps in CBP's AI-powered border towers
An investigation by MIT Technology Review and Times of San Diego found that people have died undetected near AI-enabled surveillance towers along the US-Mexico border, including sites using technology from defense contractor Anduril. The reporters documented broken equipment, detection algorithms that missed people, and agents who failed to act on alerts, even as CBP plans to spend $1 billion to triple the system's size by 2034.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The findings raise questions about whether a costly, expanding surveillance network is actually preventing harm or merely giving false assurance while people die within its range. With Anduril positioned to capture much of the coming federal spending, the reported failures could shape scrutiny of how border security contracts are awarded and audited.
- Investigation ties several border deaths to malfunctioning or ignored surveillance tower alerts.
- Anduril-built towers are among those implicated despite the company's growing federal contracts.
- CBP is planning a $1 billion expansion to triple the virtual wall by 2034.
Source: technologyreview.com — James O'Donnell, 2026-09-21
Published there as: “4 ways to address the failures we found along the US border’s “virtual wall””
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