TSA Showcase Biometric AI-powered Airport Immigration Security

TSA Showcase Biometric AI-powered Airport Immigration Security

The start of Donald Trump’s second term as president has been marked by sweeping immigration policies, underscoring a renewed focus on border security and national safety.

Executive orders and increased enforcement have already reshaped the operational landscape for federal agencies like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), whose responsibilities are deeply intertwined with immigration and travel policies.

As the country grapples with heightened scrutiny over immigration, the TSA showcased its latest technological advancements at CES 2025 in Las Vegas.

Harry Reid International Airport, the gateway for over 140,000 CES attendees jetting in from across the globe, illustrated the intersection of these issues.

Against this backdrop, the TSA’s presence at CES provided a timely platform to highlight its innovations in biometric authentication, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies designed to meet these dual objectives.

Biometric authentication and credential verification

 

One of the key technologies presented was a Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) machine. This system uses biometrics to verify a passenger’s identity by matching their facial features to the photo on their identification documents.

Lucy Rimensnyder, a program manager at the TSA, explains that this “one-to-one match” is used at travel document checkpoints to compare the live image of the passenger’s face, captured at the checkpoint, directly to the photo stored on their physical ID, such as a passport or driver’s license.

This ensures the person presenting the ID is the rightful holder and helps detect potential cases of identity fraud.

TSA Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) biometrics machine at CES 2025
TSA Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) biometrics machine at CES 2025

 

“We’re trying to find innovative technologies that will help us improve the passenger journey while also upholding our security standards,” Rimensnyder adds.

According to recent data from SITA, around 70% of global airlines are expected to implement biometric identification by 2026, with 90% of airports currently investing in biometric technology.

Additionally, a Statista survey found that 46% of passengers globally reported using biometrics at airports in 2023, highlighting the rapid adoption of these systems.

The TSA is also collaborating with airline partners to roll out touchless identity solutions, which are currently available to pre-check passengers on an opt-in basis.

These systems aim to clear passengers in as little as two to three seconds, reducing wait times and enhancing convenience.

Rimensnyder highlights the potential for future iterations of the TSA’s system to eliminate the need for physical documents altogether.

“In my personal opinion, I think we’re moving towards a passportless journey, but obviously, there’s always going to be privacy concerns and an option to opt out,” she says.

Matt Gilkeson, the TSA’s CTO, agrees, adding: “In general, folks are becoming more comfortable with biometrics as a token. There’s a real interest in seamless travel. Many European airlines see biometrics as a way of passenger facilitation, rather than a form of security.”

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AI and machine learning for enhanced screening

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a significant role in the TSA’s efforts to improve security screening.

Gilkeson notes that machine learning algorithms implemented two years ago have halved the number of pat-downs required during on-person screenings.

“Not only does this make the process faster, but it also improves the passenger experience by reducing physical contact,” says Gilkeson, “because nobody wants to get touched, and we don’t want to touch anybody!”

An added benefit of these algorithms is that they eliminate the need to choose officers whose gender corresponds with the traveller’s. Agents can use a single scan button instead of an officer, making the process gender-neutral.

The TSA is also exploring generative AI for incident response. Gilkeson explained how the technology could assist officers in documenting incidents, escalating cases to local law enforcement, and ensuring procedural accuracy.

“If somebody has a gun or doesn’t know something they’ve packed is prohibited, we have to document every incident. Officers need to know how to carry out procedures accurately, what questions to ask to get the right answers,” he says.

“Agentic AI could help us handle complex scenarios quickly and efficiently and automatically start escalating the incident to local law enforcement or our coordination centre,” he notes.

However, Gilkeson acknowledged the challenges in deploying AI responsibly, emphasising the importance of rigorous data testing to prevent unexpected performance issues.

“It’s really important to think about responsible testing, to understand what data you’re using in the system, to be able to understand, is there drift happening? Are there things I didn’t expect within my data set that I’m now seeing in performance that I don’t want to tolerate?”

“It’s critical that we understand the boundaries of our systems to maintain security without compromising reliability,” he adds.

Prototypes and emerging technologies

 

Another highlight of the TSA’s display was a prototype shoe scanner. Using millimetre-wave technology, the scanner analyses shoes for concealed objects without requiring passengers to remove them.

Passers by the TSA stall at CES 2025 could stand on the scanner and see how it works, adding to the dataset.

“We’ve been collecting data all week at CES to try to get a better picture of what normal shoes look like,” says Brian Lewis, a Department of Homeland Security contractor.

He highlighted the importance of accounting for variations such as concealed RFID tags, often found in some shoe brands, for quality tracking purposes.

“Our goal is to ensure we can process everyone without unnecessary delays,” he adds.

According to Lewis, this system is still in the prototype phase. Plans are to deploy test units at airports within the next few years.

TSA shoe scanner using millimetre-wavetechnology at CES 2025
TSA shoe scanner using millimetre-wave
technology at CES 2025

 

“We’d love to see it move towards a mass transit setting, stadiums, places like that. As long as we can make sure that we’re able to provide the experience that everyone wants; like getting 60,000 people into a football stadium,” he says.

Quang Vo, a developer at the TSA, showcased another innovation: a virtual reality (VR) headset designed for baggage inspection.

This technology leverages CT scans and open-source architecture from the medical industry to allow officers to inspect flagged items virtually, reducing the need for physical handling.

“This approach enhances officer safety while giving us more accurate data for machine learning,” Vo explains. By labelling objects within virtual environments, the TSA can improve the accuracy of automated threat detection systems.

However, Vo acknowledges the limitations: “The hardware isn’t quite there yet for large-scale deployment, but we’re making significant progress,” he said.

TSA prototype virtual reality (VR) headsetdesigned for baggage inspection at CES 2025
TSA prototype virtual reality (VR) headset at CES 2025

 

Challenges in scaling and implementation

 

While the TSA’s technologies show promise, scaling these innovations presents challenges.

Rimensnyder notes that funding and timing constraints often delay deployment, prompting the agency to seek alternative avenues such as public-private partnerships and collaboration with national laboratories.

“We’re looking at creative ways to accelerate these technologies so they reach checkpoints faster,” Rimensnyder says.

“We are looking for those companies that might be a little bit lower in the technology readiness level. We work with them to do operational testing and lab testing and try to scale these products to something that meets our requirements and helps inform future requirements. But also give some data back to those companies on how they can improve to scale for the future.”

Privacy concerns remain a key consideration for the TSA. Gilkeson emphasises the agency’s commitment to transparency, highlighting that privacy impact assessments are conducted for every system. “We only collect the data we need, and it’s deleted as soon as it’s no longer required,” he says.

Gilkeson highlighted the importance of addressing privacy concerns when implementing biometric solutions. He pointed out that the government’s privacy impact assessments ensure transparency, contrasting this with commercial entities that lack similar requirements.

“We find people are interested in giving the commercial vendors all their information, and they don’t want to give the government anything,” he says.

“I always find it interesting because the government has a process. We have to produce a privacy impact assessment that describes what data we’re collecting and why, how we will use it, and how long we will keep it. Commercial industries don’t have to do any of that.”

According to TSA guidelines, passengers participating in biometric technology tests are always notified and can opt for standard ID checks instead.

TSA stall at CES 2025 in Las Vegas
TSA stall at CES 2025 in Las Vegas

 

The TSA’s innovations showcased at CES 2025 underscore the agency’s efforts to balance passenger convenience with stringent security measures.

While scaling and deploying these technologies remains challenging, ongoing collaborations and advancements in AI, biometrics, and VR suggest a path forward for a more seamless and secure travel experience.

Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll walk through airports and onto planes like we do stations and trains.

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