WASHINGTON – This week, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas convened the fourth in-person meeting of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC). The Council discussed the Department’s progress on AI, workforce adaptation, and the Homeland Security Grant Program. Additionally, Secretary Mayorkas officially swore in Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley to the Council, the second fire chief to sit on the HSAC, demonstrating that fires are increasingly a threat to homeland security.
“The threat landscape our homeland faces has constantly evolved and grown in the 20 years since our Department was founded,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The safety and security of the American homeland depends on our Department’s continued ability to evolve and grow alongside it. The Homeland Security Advisory Council has long been essential to the Department’s efforts to do so – their impact can be felt across DHS, including in our ongoing work to leverage the power of AI, streamline our service delivery, and support our workforce. I am immensely grateful that this bipartisan group is offering their time, experience, and expertise to help safeguard our nation.”
During the meeting, three HSAC subcommittees, formed at the direction of Secretary Mayorkas, presented their final reports on several taskings. The reports presented by the Workforce Adaptation and the Homeland Security Grant Program subcommittees were approved unanimously by the Council. The AI Mission Focused report had an amendment presented by the Council that clarified the importance of humans remaining involved in the decision-making process with AI and that the workforce remain at the forefront of any implementation.
The AI Mission Focused Subcommittee’s final report outlines ways to leverage AI to advance critical missions. Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas directed this Subcommittee to address the increasingly prevalent issue of AI and its implications for society. In addition to this report, the Department also announced new policies this week to promote the responsible use of AI technology. Key recommendations from this subcommittee include the creation of a central office to advance AI policy, increase and utilize AI to complement many areas of the Department’s work, and to use federated data systems and lakes for AI use.