The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the agency will leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster a secure U.S. supply chain. AI will support the ingestion and analysis of the increasing amounts of data, FedScoop reported on Tuesday.
“All of this now is starting to play into that AI and machine learning arena because, one, we’re getting data that we’ve never seen before,” said Vincent Annunziato, director of CBP Business Transformation and Innovation Division.
CBP will utilize AI to analyze data sooner to further secure the supply chain. Currently, analysis occurs after products have been manufactured and already begun international transit.
CBP is responsible for ensuring importer and exporter compliance with laws and regulations that prevent harmful or counterfeit products from entering or exiting the U.S. Long-term, smart AI devices could be used to alert CBP to threats such as tampered items within the international supply chain.
The agency has faced an increased volume of supply chain data since CBP has integrated blockchain to secure various industries, such as steel and oil. AI and machine learning (ML) will gather and interpret data to increase speed and security.
CBP began piloting blockchain to validate mill certificates, which are documents detailing the chemical breakdown and grade of steel, as well as whether open-market oil is USMCA-certified. CBP also announced blockchain pilots that will enhance its visibility into the food, e-commerce shipment and natural gas supply chains while making validation paperless.
AI could help with the categorization of products based on photos or text descriptions while avoiding errors that currently require CBP personnel to delete entries and start from scratch when they’re made, Annunziato said.
“The government is going to look into designing a system that’s flexible for the data that’s coming in so that, even if you don’t have all the appropriate data at the time that you submit it, you can update it as you go along,” Annunziato added.
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