Taiwan to expand customs detection of contraband items through AI

Taipei, March 1 (CNA) Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to curb the smuggling of contraband items beyond narcotics at customs clearance points over the next four years, a Customs Administration official has said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said earlier this week that the additional items covered under the plan would include meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes, and certain agricultural produce.

According to the administration, Taiwan began using AI-based image recognition systems in July 2021 to identify illicit narcotics across various customs clearance locations, including post offices and airports.

As smugglers have continued to find new ways of concealing illicit narcotics, however, AI models have had to be constantly trained to improve identification accuracy, the official said.

This year, generative AI (GenAI), which is a subset of AI that uses generative models to produce text, images, videos, or other forms of data, will be employed to train AI models in producing realistic X-ray images of contraband items, the official said.

The use of GenAi will greatly enhance the detection of illicit drugs at customs clearance points, the official said, and the AI models will be trained in the coming years to detect other items, starting with meat later this year.

E-cigarettes will be the focus in 2026, banknote bundles in 2027, and certain agricultural produce in 2028, according to the official.

The administration plans to spend NT$275.77 million (US$8.37 million) on the project over the coming four years from 2025 to 2028.