The Transportation Security Administration has quietly rolled out “Ace,” an artificial-intelligence chatbot built on Salesforce technology that is now handling roughly 100,000 traveler inquiries per month on TSA.gov and the myTSA mobile app, according to an exclusive report by Nextgov/FCW. The tool resolves 96 percent of questions without human escalation, significantly reducing call-center workload during peak travel periods. Ace was piloted over the summer and reached full deployment ahead of the busy fall conference season. It draws on more than 550 knowledge articles to address common questions such as liquid restrictions, PreCheck eligibility and Real ID deadlines. Complex or travel-specific issues are automatically routed to live agents with an AI-generated case summary, trimming average handle time. For corporations managing high volumes of domestic travel, faster access to accurate security guidance can cut missed-flight incidents and help travel arrangers update itineraries in real time. TSA projects the system will save $11 million over three years and free 11,600 staff hours that can be redirected to frontline screening. The launch aligns with a broader federal push toward generative-AI customer-service tools, but privacy advocates will watch closely how traveler data is stored and whether conversational logs could be subpoenaed. TSA says no personally identifiable information is retained beyond what is necessary for quality assurance. Travel management companies are already exploring API hooks that could allow Ace to populate itinerary notes automatically—potentially integrating security advice directly into corporate booking platforms and mobile wallets.
Source: Nextgov/FCW
