According to MTA’s chief security officer, Michael Kemper, they are “investigating and testing technologies like AI to detect potential problems or risky behaviors on our subway platforms.”

Kemper explained at a recent MTA safety committee meeting that “if someone is displaying erratic or irrational behavior, it could set off an alert, prompting either security personnel or the police department to respond.” He emphasized that this response could occur “even before any incidents unfold.”

“AI is the future,” he added, noting that the MTA is “working with tech companies literally right now” to investigate “what would work in the subway system.” Kemper didn’t detail which companies the MTA is working with, how AI will be implemented, or exactly what sort of behaviour the AI-enabled cameras will be expected to detect.

However, MTA spokesperson Aaron Donovan confirmed to The Gothamist that the new system won’t rely on facial recognition. “The technology being explored by the MTA is designed to identify behaviors, not people,” Donovan said.

This isn’t the first time the MTA has implemented AI. In 2023 it disclosed that it was using AI-powered surveillance software to track fare evaders on the subway, monitoring when, where, and how most fare evasion takes place.