The Fourth Intelligence Revolution

A former senior intelligence officer reveals how espionage is being transformed by a new global intelligence race, driven by AI and competition with China, and how this impacts all of our lives. The new global intelligence competition has brought espionage into our workplaces and our living rooms. Adversaries like China, Iran, and Russia have realized that the human element is the weakest link in our industrial and political infrastructure. As a result, they target all of us—stealing our financial data and medical records, eavesdropping on our conversations, and using platforms like TikTok and Hollywood movies to influence our opinions. The Fourth Intelligence Revolution reveals how the undercover adventures of World War II, the spy-versus-spy confrontations of the Cold War, and the “find-fix-and-finish” counterterrorism missions after 9/11 have given way to the most dangerous period of espionage yet. This eye-opening account exposes how intelligence now permeates every corner of society, from economic espionage and genetic data gathering to information operations targeting children through AI chatbots—even extending to reconnaissance on the far side of the moon. Both a warning and a call to action, The Fourth Intelligence Revolution suggests that we are all, in essence, becoming intelligence officers and that citizens have both the power and responsibility to reclaim intelligence to safeguard and strengthen our democracy.