America's AI-enhanced surveillance at southern border endangers migrants: The Guardian

LONDON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The AI-enhanced cameras installed in surveillance towers on the southern border of the United States can detect "objects of interest" miles away, which critics say will drive migrants deeper into dangerous desert, The Guardian has reported on Monday.

A new map has shown more than 300 existing and 50 proposed surveillance towers along the U.S.-Mexico border, it said, citing the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit focused on digital privacy, free speech and innovation.

The surveillance towers, developed by the tech defense company Anduril, operate day and night and use AI to detect "objects of interest" such as humans or vehicles, it said, noting that the cameras pan 360 degrees and can detect people from 1.7 miles (2.7 km) away.

Critics said that the "prevention through deterrence" strategy pursued by several U.S. administrations has driven migration through deserts and mountains, leading thousands of migrants to die or go missing, it said.

"The remains of nearly 10,000 migrants have been found by the border patrol in the last 25 years," it said.

Surveillance towers in Arizona were significantly correlated with increased deaths of migrants because they took longer routes through the desert to avoid detection, it said, citing a University of Arizona study.