AI's Secret Weapon: Fighting Fraud in Uncle Sam's Billions

You know how banks use AI to catch fraud? Well, Uncle Sam is doing the same thing! The US Treasury Department just used AI to catch $1 billion in check fraud alone last year. That's huge! And it's not just checks. They stopped over $4 billion in fraud overall. How? By using machine learning to dig through tons of data really fast. This is big because fraud spiked during the pandemic when the government was rushing to send out aid. But it's not just about catching the bad guys. The government is also worried about AI being used to trick people. Like that time a finance worker was fooled by a fake video and lost $25 million! So, they're being careful and always double-checking what the AI finds. The Treasury is just getting started with AI. They want to use even more tools to stop fraud. And they're working with states to catch people who fake unemployment claims. It's like a game of cat and mouse, but with computers and lots of money at stake!