Collective Intelligence and Knowledge Ecosystems: The Future of the U.S. Intelligence Community

Abstract

Concerned that the U.S. lacks a modern technology strategy for national security, this research paper discusses bottom-up approaches to inter-organizational collaborations that national security efforts must develop to successfully share knowledge within and across organizational assets. Without technology-aided collaborations and knowledge sharing activities that span agencies, U.S. national security will be limited in its ability to analyze intra- and international social transactions for aberrant patterns. For a fuller, more holistic approach to intelligence gathering, the U.S. government needs to cultivate more vibrant knowledge ecosystems. Research regarding the application of collective intelligence and knowledge ecosystems to national security explores strategies that promote collaboration between government agencies - and encourage partnerships with members of the private and academic sectors - to share relevant knowledge for successful inter-agency collaborations. Such knowledge ecosystems can assist with the identification of potential geopolitical concerns and support appropriate response if necessary (e.g., law enforcement for terrorists or drug cartels, U.N. aid for refugees, or public health for infectious diseases). Through application of these findings, improved inter-organizational information collaborations, to include augmented group cognition and emerging virtual institutions, follow from this empirical research. The CIA's Global Trends 2015 report predicts governments will have less control over flows of information, technology, diseases, migrants, arms, and financial transactions across their borders. The ability and agility to form partnerships to exploit increased information flows increasingly depends on effective governance. I believe all of this can be performed while preserving the freedom of privacy that is a core tenet of a free democracy.