Police Use AI Bots to Pose As Trafficking Victims Online

Police departments near the U.S.-Mexico border are deploying AI bots posing as civilians online to investigate crimes, sparking civil liberties concerns.

According to an extensive report by 404 Media, U.S. police departments near the Mexico border are quietly using AI bots that pose as protesters, sex workers, children, and criminals in an effort to gather intelligence online.

The technology—called Overwatch—is being sold by a New York-based company named Massive Blue. 404 Media says that these bots are designed to trick suspects into revealing information via social media, text, or messaging apps.

404 Media obtained documents revealing that police departments use AI personas to track individuals suspected of human trafficking, drug dealing, and people labeled as “radicalized activists” and “college protesters.”

404 Media reports that the AI surveillance system by Massive Blue operates under a $360,000 contract with Pinal County, Arizona, funded by an anti-human trafficking grant. The agreement provides continuous surveillance and allows for up to 50 AI personas. Another county, Yuma, tested the system but declined to renew it, saying, “It did not meet our needs.”

The AI bots are shockingly detailed, as noted by 404 Media. For example, one character is “Jason,” a shy 14-year-old boy from Los Angeles who speaks Spanish and loves anime. In a scripted exchange, an adult asks him:

“Your parents around? Or you getting some awesome alone time.”
“Js chillin by myself, man. My momz @ work n my dadz outta town,” Jason replies.

Another AI character is a 25-year-old Yemeni-American woman who speaks Arabic and uses apps like Telegram and Signal. There’s also a “radicalized protest persona” posing as a lonely 36-year-old activist interested in body positivity and baking.

“This idea of having an AI pretending to be somebody, a youth looking for pedophiles to talk online, or somebody who is a fake terrorist, is an idea that goes back a long time,” said Dave Maass from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, as reported by 404 Media.

“The problem with all these things is that these are ill-defined problems. I’m not concerned about escorts. I’m not concerned about college protesters. So like, what is it effective at, violating protesters’ First Amendment rights?” Dave added.

Despite all this, 404 Media reports that Pinal County confirms no arrests have been made yet. “Massive Blue has produced leads that detectives are actively pursuing,” said spokesperson Sam Salzwedel. “But we cannot disclose further details,” he added.