Roundtables: The Deadly Failures of The Virtual Border Wall

Roundtables: The Deadly Failures of The Virtual Border Wall Watch a subscriber-only conversation examining the failures of border surveillance technology. Available only for MIT Technology Review subscribers. Listen to the session or watch below The US has spent billions building a “virtual wall” of surveillance towers along its southern border over the past 25 years, promising they will help detect and apprehend border crossers and save lives. But a groundbreaking investigation by MIT Technology Review has documented over a thousand people who moved through areas watched by these towers without being reached or apprehended, and who ultimately died there. Some were even under the watch of newly installed AI-powered towers designed to spot people automatically. Our findings reveal a humanitarian crisis more visible than previously known, and repeated failures of the virtual wall’s basic security promise. Watch a conversation examining the failures of border surveillance technology and uncovering the stories of the people who die in the borderlands. Speakers: Mat Honan, editor in chief, James O'Donnell, senior AI reporter, and Eileen Guo, senior features and investigations reporter Deep Dive Artificial intelligence AI’s recursive self-improvement might not come so quickly after all AI agents are not yet creative enough to carry out genuinely innovative open-ended AI research, it seems. Here’s why AI agents lie and cheat to reach their goals The misbehavior is called reward hacking. This is what you need to know. These startups are chasing the next big thing in LLMs Meet the new kids nipping at the heels of the AI giants. Don’t be fooled by this summer of AI hype Breathless claims about AGI and new capabilities fall apart pretty quickly under scrutiny. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.