The Pentagon seeks funding for an AI-based lie detector

The US Department of Defense is requesting $30.3 million over five years to develop a new lie detection system known as Polygraph+ or Polygraph Next. The program would use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and noncontact sensing methods to improve how the government assesses credibility and screens people. According to the budget request, the work would be led by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency and could be used for employee vetting and insiderthreat detection. The Pentagon has also been relying more on polygraph tests in leak investigations, including recent screenings of Joint Staff officers. The article notes that efforts to modernize lie detection have a long history of mixed results. Researchers and legal scholars cited in the piece argue that polygraphs remain unreliable, subjective, and vulnerable to countermeasures, and they caution that adding AI may not solve those underlying problems.