10 years after Boston, more to do
Hearing held on how response has evolved
BOSTON — The chair of the U.S. Senate subcommittee on emerging national security threats said at a hearing Wednesday that much has been learned about enhancing emergency response and counterterrorism efforts in the decade since the Boston Marathon bombing, but more can still be done.
Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire used her opening remarks at the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight Hearing in Washington to reflect on changes since two pressure-cooker bombs went off near the finish line of the race on April 15, 2013.
“I am proud of the rapid response to the horror of the attack on that day, and last week, on the 10th anniversary of the bombing, I was proud to watch joyful crowds urging on determined race participants,” she said. “However, there is still much work to do to strengthen our ability to prevent and respond to emerging threats.”
Former Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis testified that among the biggest changes since the bombing have been the advances in technology, including social media and artificial intelligence.
“Today’s cameras and coordinated systems have the potential to provide analytics in real time; identify possibly dangerous items, as well as react and pivot based on crowd dynamics such as abnormal movement patterns or gathering,” he said.
But he also urged caution when it comes to using artificial intelligence.
“As artificial intelligence continues to mature, these capabilities grow exponentially more dangerous. AI can now create realistic, false images of people and voice replication,” Davis said. “These deep fakes, when used to interfere or disrupt an investigation pose a distinct challenge to law enforcement that Congress and legislation must anticipate and prepare for.”
Kerry Sleeper, a former deputy assistant director at the FBI, called for a national strategy that involves all enforcement agencies to deal with the evolving threats.
“That plan requires an understanding of the threat through detailed analysis, up-to-date tools … and the rapid sharing of threat information to prevent an attack once there is evidence of a likely attack,” he said.