TSA to Use AI for Airport Screenings

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is set to test an AI data analysis tool from Pangiam and Google Cloud to identify potentially hazardous items in carry-on luggage. 

Project DARTMOUTH harnesses AI and pattern analysis tech to process vast quantities of data in real time, and in this instance would be used to automate the baggage screening process and identify contraband. 

Alexis Long, product director at Pangiam, said Project DARTMOUTH represents a “potentially transformative leap” in aviation security, tightening airport security standards and allowing workers to focus attention on identified threats. 

“Our aim is to utilize AI and computer vision technologies to enhance security by providing TSA and security officers with powerful tools to detect prohibitive items that may pose a threat to aviation security is a significant step toward setting a new security standard with worldwide implications,” Long said.

The first set of trials will take place at TSA’s System Integration Facility – a 128,000 square-foot lab that acts as a test space for all security solutions under consideration for airport deployment. 

Pangiam first announced Project DARTMOUTH at the end of 2021, combining the company’s tech with Google Cloud’s AI and ML computer vision tools. It’s also being tested at security facilities for AGS Airport Ltd; the owners and operators of Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Southampton Airports in the U.K.