"EXPERT PERSPECTIVE - Occasionally, a speech does more than mark a leadership transition or outline institutional priorities. It captures, with unusual clarity, the nature of the moment we are living through and the choices it demands. Blaise Metreweli's recent inaugural address as Chief (or more colloquially, C) of the UK's Secret Intelligence Service was one of those moments. Rather than offering a conventional tour of threats or capabilities, she chose a more demanding path."
"She spoke about human agency in a world increasingly shaped by machines. About trust, judgment, and integrity at a time when technology is accelerating every dimension of competition and conflict. I had the pleasure of working with Metreweli while serving as Deputy Director of the CIA for Digital Innovation. I watched her navigate the intersection of operations and technology with a rare combination of rigor and imagination. Her speech reflects that same sensibility."
Human agency must remain central to intelligence decision-making even as machines increasingly shape analysis and operations. Artificial intelligence can surface patterns, illuminate possibilities, and accelerate analysis, but it cannot decide what matters, weigh moral tradeoffs, or assume responsibility for consequences. Trust, judgment, and integrity are essential at a time when technology accelerates competition and conflict across every dimension. Effective intelligence blends operational grounding with technological rigor and imaginative approaches. Coherent strategy should adapt to current realities rather than idealized assumptions. Responsibility for outcomes must rest with people who can integrate ethical considerations with technical insights.
Read at The Cipher Brief
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]