--- title: The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered... description: The Pentagon is requesting $30.3 million over five years for a program called Polygraph+ to modernize federal lie-detection technology using AI scoring... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/the-pentagon-wants-30-million-to-build-an-ai-powered-lie-detector-p1kf4tfet twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie detector | daily.dev og:description: The Pentagon is requesting $30.3 million over five years for a program called Polygraph+ to modernize federal lie-detection technology using AI scoring... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/the-pentagon-wants-30-million-to-build-an-ai-powered-lie-detector-p1kf4tfet og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/p1KF4TFEt.png og:image:alt: The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie detector og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie detector **[MIT Technology Review](https://daily.dev/sources/technologyreview)** · 7 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary The Pentagon is requesting $30.3 million over five years for a program called Polygraph+ to modernize federal lie-detection technology using AI scoring algorithms and standoff sensing (physiological readings taken without attaching a device). Run by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, it aims to vet employees and hunt leakers amid heightened polygraph use under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Experts argue combining AI with polygraphs is 'the worst of both worlds,' since AI adds uncertainty on top of a technology already lacking scientific validity, with no reliable 'Pinocchio's nose' ever identified despite decades of attempts using thermal cameras, pupil trackers, and brain scans. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the Pentagon's Polygraph+ program and how much funding is it requesting? Polygraph+, also called Polygraph Next, is a Department of Defense program requesting $30.3 million over five years to modernize federal polygraph and credibility assessment technology. It focuses on AI-driven scoring algorithms and standoff sensing, which takes physiological readings without attaching a device to a subject. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency will run it for employee vetting and insider threat detection. _Anyone tracking how governments apply AI to high-stakes decisions can follow policy shifts like this on daily.dev._ ### How accurate is polygraph testing according to research? Accuracy claims vary widely: the American Polygraph Association claims 80-94% accuracy, but the US National Research Council found evidence for polygraph screening 'weak at best' in 2003, and Congress's Office of Technology Assessment reached similar conclusions in 1983. Even at claimed accuracy levels, applying the test across the Department of Defense's 2.8 million employees could falsely accuse tens of thousands of people. _Developers weighing claims about AI-driven accuracy in sensitive systems can dig into cases like this on daily.dev._ ### Can AI improve lie detection technology beyond traditional polygraphs? AI could theoretically improve polygraphs by finding patterns in physiological data examiners miss, and multi-modal systems combining physiological stress, cognitive load, and concealment behavior signals could be harder to game than single-measure tests. However, experts warn that without reliable ground truth linking patterns to actual lying, AI adds uncertainty on top of an already unvalidated technique. _Anyone evaluating AI's real limits versus its hype can explore reporting like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [The Pentagon is planning for AI companies to train on classified data, defense official says](https://daily.dev/posts/the-pentagon-is-planning-for-ai-companies-to-train-on-classified-data-defense-official-says-be9k3kakw) · MIT Technology Review · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#machine-learning](https://daily.dev/tags/machine-learning), [#ethical-ai](https://daily.dev/tags/ethical-ai) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/the-pentagon-wants-30-million-to-build-an-ai-powered-lie-detector-p1kf4tfet) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie detector","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-pentagon-wants-30-million-to-build-an-ai-powered-lie-detector-p1kf4tfet","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-pentagon-wants-30-million-to-build-an-ai-powered-lie-detector-p1kf4tfet"},"datePublished":"2026-09-25T09:42:37.892Z","dateModified":"2026-09-25T09:43:03.855Z","description":"The Pentagon is requesting $30.3 million over five years for a program called Polygraph+ to modernize federal lie-detection technology using AI scoring...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/cc87e06f1c2062384817e42840197562?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/cc87e06f1c2062384817e42840197562?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"MIT Technology Review","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"MIT Technology Review","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/a8d03889722f4f22b3986e0b395ff076","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/technologyreview"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-pentagon-wants-30-million-to-build-an-ai-powered-lie-detector-p1kf4tfet","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"machine-learning,ethical-ai","timeRequired":"PT7M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"MIT Technology Review","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/technologyreview"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie detector"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-pentagon-wants-30-million-to-build-an-ai-powered-lie-detector-p1kf4tfet#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the Pentagon's Polygraph+ program and how much funding is it requesting?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Polygraph+, also called Polygraph Next, is a Department of Defense program requesting $30.3 million over five years to modernize federal polygraph and credibility assessment technology. It focuses on AI-driven scoring algorithms and standoff sensing, which takes physiological readings without attaching a device to a subject. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency will run it for employee vetting and insider threat detection. Anyone tracking how governments apply AI to high-stakes decisions can follow policy shifts like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How accurate is polygraph testing according to research?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Accuracy claims vary widely: the American Polygraph Association claims 80-94% accuracy, but the US National Research Council found evidence for polygraph screening 'weak at best' in 2003, and Congress's Office of Technology Assessment reached similar conclusions in 1983. Even at claimed accuracy levels, applying the test across the Department of Defense's 2.8 million employees could falsely accuse tens of thousands of people. Developers weighing claims about AI-driven accuracy in sensitive systems can dig into cases like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can AI improve lie detection technology beyond traditional polygraphs?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"AI could theoretically improve polygraphs by finding patterns in physiological data examiners miss, and multi-modal systems combining physiological stress, cognitive load, and concealment behavior signals could be harder to game than single-measure tests. However, experts warn that without reliable ground truth linking patterns to actual lying, AI adds uncertainty on top of an already unvalidated technique. Anyone evaluating AI's real limits versus its hype can explore reporting like this on daily.dev."}}]} ```