A new AI listens to every prison call and decides who is speaking

https://media.thenextweb.com/2026/07/payphones.avif

A Texas company has begun selling corrections agencies an artificial intelligence system that listens to prison phone calls. It works out who is speaking, whether or not the speaker wants that.

LEO Technologies, based in Austin, announced Verus Voice AI on Monday. The product uses voice biometrics to catch prisoners who call on someone else’s personal identification number. It builds and tracks voice identities continuously, the company says, rather than waiting for staff to spot anomalies.

“Personal identification codes and phones can be shared, coerced, or swapped amongst inmates,” said Tim Anderson. “But a voice can’t be.” Anderson is a senior vice president at the firm.

Two descriptions of the same product

The press release stresses restraint. It says the system carries “built-in safeguards”, and that qualified personnel review every finding before anyone acts. The company promises “human oversight and accountability” throughout.

Its own product pagemakes a wider promise....

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