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Oct 1, 2026

Flaws in AI-powered surveillance tech are costing lives at the southern border

Eileen Guo coauthored a recent investigation for MIT Technology Review, looking at the latest generation of surveillance towers that failed to detect people in distress crossing the border.

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Flaws in AI-powered surveillance tech are costing lives at the southern border
Sherry Smith/Getty Images/iStockphoto

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Over the last 25 years, the U.S. government has spent billions of dollars to build a "virtual wall" of video surveillance at the southern border. The network can signal Border Patrol to respond when it detects suspicious activity. And officials have touted the benefit of providing aid to migrants in distress.

But a recent investigation by MIT Technology Review and the Times of San Diego found more than 1,000 migrants have died over the last decade within range of one of these cameras. Eileen Guo co-reported the series, “Dying on Camera.”

More on this

“The US spent billions on border surveillance. Why can’t it catch people before they die?” from MIT Technology Review

“A congressional representative just proposed killing America’s border tower program” from MIT Technology Review

The Team