Today, the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) released its Intelligence Interim Panel Report (IPR) entitled “Intelligence Innovation: Repositioning for Future Tech Competition.”
The SCSP Intelligence IPR argues that as the geostrategic rivalry between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) intensifies, so too does the nexus between technological innovation and intelligence advantage. We have entered a new era defined by large volumes of data – much of it openly or commercially available – rapid advancements in new tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) capable of deriving insight from all this information, and an evolving innovation ecosystem in which industry and private institutions hold the advantage over governments. The United States Intelligence Community (IC) must urgently adapt to this new environment if it is to successfully navigate the challenges ahead and sustain America’s competitive edge. Building on SCSP’s prior recommendations, this report argues that the U.S. Intelligence Community should focus on four priorities:
- First, rapidly scale the use of cutting-edge generative AI capabilities across the intelligence cycle to reinvent how intelligence is collected, analyzed, produced, disseminated, and evaluated. Adapting foundation models with IC data can automate discovery and analysis.
- Second, reimagine intelligence partnerships, both domestically and abroad. The outdated hub-and-spoke model should shift to networked alliances to harness innovation. New inroads to domestic talent, tools, and technology are also essential.
- Third, accelerate the IC’s use of openly- and commercially-available data by creating a new public-private partnership to harness the capabilities being developed outside the U.S. Government while working to establish a dedicated Open Source entity.
- Fourth, extend IC support to enable strategic communications. With the right expertise, tools, and private sector links, the IC can mount agile responses and support broader government messaging across the contested digital information domain.
“The mid-decade challenge for the U.S. Intelligence Community is winning the accelerating race for actionable insight to enable U.S. statecraft in a more information-rich and geopolitically competitive world,” said SCSP President and CEO, Ylli Bajraktari.
“U.S. Intelligence has a proud history of adapting to address evolving national security challenges and leveraging new technologies. But the pace and scope of technological change we are experiencing today is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Whether we are looking at AI, biotechnology, or advanced computing; changes in these sectors will transform not just what the IC focuses on, but also how the IC will operate,” said SCSP Senior Director for Intelligence William Usher.
For more information about the report, please contact SCSP Senior Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Tara Rigler, at tmr@scsp.ai or Director of Communications and Public Affairs Ariana Orne at ado@scsp.ai. For more information about SCSP, visit us on our website, and subscribe for regular newsletter and podcast updates at 2-2-2.