FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau has used artificial intelligence to help stop multiple attacks, including school shootings, as part of a broader push to modernize federal law enforcement under the Trump administration.
Speaking on Sean Hannity’s podcast, Hang Out with Sean Hannity, Patel broke down how the FBI is taking proactive measures to fight crime in the United States.
Recommended Stories
“AI was never used at the FBI till we got there, literally crazy,” Patel said. “I’m using it everywhere.”
Patel pointed to specific cases where AI tools helped agents quickly process large volumes of information and act on threats.
“We stopped a school massacre in North Carolina because we got a tip and we were able to triage it with artificial intelligence,” he said.
He added that a separate school shooting in New York was also prevented after a tip from private-sector partners was analyzed using AI systems.
“We stopped a school shooting in New York because we got a tip from our private-sector partners who are building out AI infrastructure,” Patel said.
The FBI receives thousands of tips each week, making it difficult for human analysts alone to keep pace.
“If we had just humans look at it, we would never sift through them all,” Patel said. “I put AI in there,” he added, referring to the bureau’s National Threat Operations Center.
Patel also described how AI is being integrated into other systems, including the Criminal Justice Information Services database, allowing agents to “pop fingerprints immediately and get fugitives and arrest warrants out.”
The comments come as federal agencies increasingly adopt AI tools for law enforcement and national security purposes, amid growing concerns about their potential and risks. Industry experts have argued that AI can help identify threats faster, particularly in areas such as counterterrorism, cybercrime, and violent crime prevention.
Patel framed the shift as a departure from previous FBI leadership, criticizing what he described as a lack of modernization.
“What’s the point of collecting terabytes of data if you can’t sift through it?” he said.
He said the bureau has worked closely with private technology companies to rebuild its infrastructure and integrate AI into core operations.
“I’ve got every major tech company embedded into the FBI … and the ability for artificial intelligence to be in our counterterrorism program so we can get instantaneous results,” Patel said.
BIG TECH COMPANIES AGREE TO SHARE AI MODELS WITH US GOVERNMENT FOR NATIONAL SECURITY REASONS
The push aligns with broader efforts by the Trump administration to expand the use of AI across federal agencies, particularly in national security roles, and Patel emphasized that the goal in his agency is to equip agents in the field with better tools.
“An agent in the field … should have the exact same tool kit,” he said, adding that modernization is key to maintaining the FBI’s effectiveness.
