CIA developing an AI tool to monitor public information

AP Photo/Kevin Wolf

The CIA is set to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to provide analysts with better access to sort through public information.

As revealed by Bloomberg, the agency is gearing up to roll out an AI mechanism, akin to the ChatGPT model, designed to aid intelligence analysts in the formidable task of distilling vast troves of public data.

The ambitious AI tool isn't just limited to the CIA's repertoire. Randy Nixon, the newly-appointed spearhead of the CIA’s Open-Source Enterprise division, shared insights suggesting a broader adoption.

All 18 pivotal U.S. intelligence bodies—including giants like the National Security Agency (NSA), FBI, and various defense agencies—are likely to capitalize on this technology to unearth vital clues from primary sources.

Reflecting on the evolution of information mediums, Nixon emphasized the monumental challenge: “We have to find the needles in the needle field.”

But the innovation doesn't end with mere collection. The AI interface allows analysts to engage in dynamic dialogues, posing questions and extracting machine-sourced answers.

With a capacity to continuously amass information, Nixon highlighted that the only constraint is the financial aspect: “Our collection can just continue to grow and grow with no limitations other than how much things cost.”

China, a formidable player in the AI space, has publicly committed to establishing AI supremacy by 2030. Concerns have risen over China's extensive deployment of AI in sophisticated surveillance infrastructures, monitoring both domestic and international civilians. Echoing these concerns, FBI Director Christopher Wray pointed to China's dual-faceted AI threat.

According to the Register, he criticized their aggressive data theft strategies, which subsequently feed their machine learning models, bolstering their AI-powered cyber espionage.

China “has already spent years stealing both our innovation and massive troves of data that turns out to be perfect for training machine learning models,” Wray stated. “And now they’re in a position to close the cycle, to use the fruits of their widespread hacking to power with AI even-more-powerful hacking efforts.”