Inmates Concerned as Startup Develops AI Using Their Phone Conversations

In the United States, a telecommunications firm has been using recordings of phone and video calls made by prisoners to create proprietary artificial intelligence systems. According to MIT Technology Review, Securus Technologies, a company backed by private equity, has been actively developing these AI tools since 2023, but it possesses call archives dating back many years.

The exact origins of this data remain unclear, but reports suggest it spans various facilities, from local jails to long-term prisons and Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers. Securuss AI models are intended to identify potential criminal activity in real time, according to company president Kevin Elder. One such model was trained using seven years of calls from inmates in Texas state prisons, indicating that the AI may be customized for specific states or regions.

We can direct that large language model at extensive datasets to detect and understand when criminal intentions arise, allowing earlier intervention, Elder explained.

Inmates and their call recipients are informed that their conversations are recorded. However, Bianca Tylek, executive director of the advocacy group Worth Rises, describes this as coercive consent, since communication with family is often impossible without using these recorded lines.

Former Sing Sing inmate John Dukes shared that Securus tested voice recognition on him as early as 2019. He reflected, This is yet another part of myself surrendered to the prison system. Advances in AI now enable identification of both detainees and their contacts, including family, friends, and legal representatives.

The ultimate goal of Securus is reportedly to provide prison authorities with a flexible tool capable of monitoring specific inmates suspected of organizing criminal activity or performing random checks across the inmate population. This situation highlights the profitability of mass incarceration in the U.S., with prison phone systems forming the formal industry known as Inmate Calling Services (ICS). According to the Prison Journalism Project, the ICS market generates $1.2 billion annually, largely controlled by two companies, including Securus.

In an era where data is highly valuable, and with nearly two million Americans incarcerated, phone calls are no longer just a costly expense for familiesthey have become a resource for AI systems designed to surveil inmates more efficiently.

Author: Noah Whitman