Yesterday I attended a fascinating discussion with CIA director William Burns at Stanford University.
Director Burns described his plans in four key areas –
1. China – a greater focus on China as a technological and strategic rival of the United States.
2. Technology – big data, artificial intelligence, and cyber require the CIA to act differently than in the past and adjust its methods of operation.
3. Partnerships – strengthening collaboration with countries, organizations, and especially with the private sector.
4. People – improving the recruitment process for the organization and reducing it from about two years to six months, and investing more in the needs of the employees.
Especially I appreciated director Burns’s words about humility – “It is not all about us, and we should have humility regarding what we know and what we don’t know.”
A summary of the discussion is available here and a zoom link to the recording should be available too.
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