FBI Chief Claims 605% Surge in AI Use, Data Remains Unverified

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a Sept. 19 Fox News interview that AI usage at the bureau has grown 605% under his leadership, calling the technology a "key tool" for data screening when used lawfully. He cited child protection and school shooting prevention, including thwarted plots in North Carolina and six other states. Patel did not specify what the 605% figure measures — queries, users, projects or procurement. Verifiable data only suggests expanding deployment: a Justice Department 2025 list shows 50 FBI AI use cases, nine flagged "high-impact," while FBI Chief AI Officer Katie Noyes said last month that 139 applications are approved, roughly triple the year's start. The GSA cleared Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT for government use last year. The FBI has issued procurement documents for $88 million in AI servers. At a Sept. 15 Senate hearing, Patel said he can reach major AI CEOs directly to aid investigations, and that the bureau now tags AI-related crimes, with investment fraud and romance scams among hotspots.