{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/pentagon-requests-30-3-million-for-aienhanced-polygraph-program","json":"https://digestai.news/story/pentagon-requests-30-3-million-for-aienhanced-polygraph-program.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/pentagon-requests-30-3-million-for-aienhanced-polygraph-program.md","slug":"pentagon-requests-30-3-million-for-aienhanced-polygraph-program","headline":"Pentagon requests $30.3 million for AI‑enhanced polygraph program","summary":"The Department of Defense has asked for $30.3 million over the next five years to develop “Polygraph+” – an AI‑driven lie‑detection system that would use machine‑learning scoring algorithms and “standoff sensing” to take physiological readings without contact.  The program, to be run by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, is intended for employee vetting and insider‑threat detection, though the budget request has not yet been approved by Congress.\n\nCritics warn the effort repeats a long history of unreliable polygraph technology.  Professors Kyri Kotsoglou and Sophie van der Zee note that even with AI, there is no solid ground‑truth for lying, and past attempts at non‑contact deception detection have failed.  The Pentagon has recently increased polygraph use after reports that about 50 Joint Staff officers were tested following media coverage of depleted weapons stockpiles in the Iran war.","keyPoints":["DoD budget request seeks $30.3 million for a five‑year AI‑enhanced polygraph program.","Polygraph+ will be managed by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency for vetting and insider‑threat detection.","Experts say AI cannot overcome the fundamental unreliability of polygraph technology."],"whyItMatters":"The proposal shows how the U.S. defense establishment is turning to AI for internal security, raising questions about privacy, accuracy, and the future role of automated lie detection in government hiring.","category":{"slug":"policy","name":"Policy & Regulation","url":"https://digestai.news/category/policy"},"entities":{"companies":["Presage Technologies","Altec Research"],"models":[],"people":["Kyri Kotsoglou","Pete Hegseth","Sophie van der Zee","Marion Oswald"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-25T09:16:25Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-25T09:16:25Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"MIT Technology Review AI","title":"The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie detector","url":"https://technologyreview.com/2026/09/25/1145144/pentagon-ai-lie-detector","publishedAt":"2026-09-25T09:16:25Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Pentagon requests $30.3 million for AI‑enhanced polygraph program\", 25 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/pentagon-requests-30-3-million-for-aienhanced-polygraph-program","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Pentagon requests $30.3 million for AI‑enhanced polygraph program","datePublished":"2026-09-25T09:16:25Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/pentagon-requests-30-3-million-for-aienhanced-polygraph-program"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}