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Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence
By Amy B. Zegart Princeton
University Press, 2022 424 pp., $21.95 (Paperback) ISBN-13: 978-0691223070
Reviewed by Nalonie J.M. Tyrrell
Amy Zegart has long been intrigued—and often confounded—by America’s obsession with what she calls “spytainment”: the blending of espionage and entertainment. A respected political scientist, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and courtesy professor at Stanford University, Zegart is well-positioned to critique both the myth and the reality of intelligence work. She observed that following the events of September 11th, public interest in intelligence surged, yet this did not translate into a deeper understanding of the field’s realities.
Her latest book, Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence, serves as both a primer and a provocation. Zegart attempts to bridge the gap between public fascination and professional understanding, writing for policymakers, students, and lay readers alike. The book offers a comprehensive overview of the American intelligence community, addressing core topics such as intelligence definitions, historical development, covert operations, counterintelligence, congressional oversight, and the rapidly evolving realm of open-source intelligence. Although Zegart intentionally omits some details to maintain accessibility, the book succeeds in tackling areas where public misunderstanding is most pervasive.
After establishing foundational knowledge, Zegart turns to critique. She argues that American intelligence agencies are “woefully unprepared to face the challenges of the twenty-first century” and warns that they “must either adapt or fail.” Her concerns stem from four primary challenges: empowered adversaries, overwhelming data volumes, the erosion of secrecy as a result of technological diffusion, and insufficient collaboration with innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley. Zegart identifies the last factor as a strategic disadvantage—unlike their U.S. counterparts, the intelligence services of our adversaries are more agile and integrated with their countries’ respective tech sectors.
In addition to external threats, Zegart highlights internal cognitive vulnerabilities. She dedicates a compelling discussion to cognitive biases, referring to them as “cognitive traps that can lead even the sharpest minds astray.” While such biases are a universal human tendency, the intelligence community’s insular and secretive nature magnifies their consequences. The absence of transparency and limited external scrutiny often elevate flawed assessments to unquestioned truths, exacerbating the risk of error. Zegart argues that genuine reform must go beyond operational secrecy and embrace a new paradigm—one that values openness, especially in leveraging open-source intelligence.
For students at professional military education institutions, Spies, Lies, and Algorithms is more than just an introduction to the intelligence community—it is a strategic warning. Zegart’s emphasis on the challenges of cognitive bias, technological disruption, and adversaries’ willingness to innovate has direct relevance for the joint force. Future planners and operators must be able to critically assess intelligence, understand its inherent limitations, and integrate open-source information with traditional methods. In an era of strategic competition where misinformation and data saturation are weapons, Zegart’s insights equip our students not only to consume intelligence but also to question its foundations and adapt it for operational decision-making.
Her warning becomes even more urgent in light of the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the national security sphere. As professionals grow increasingly reliant on AI tools—despite well-known limitations such as algorithmic bias and hallucination—the potential for flawed intelligence estimates with real-world consequences becomes acute. Zegart’s analysis implicitly calls for a recalibration of how technological tools are assessed and integrated into intelligence workflows.
What distinguishes Spies, Lies, and Algorithms is Zegart’s dual perspective: she combines the analytical clarity of a policy scholar with the sensitivity of someone closely attuned to the human dilemmas of intelligence work. Through interviews and real-world case studies, she captures not only the systemic challenges but also the ethical and personal struggles faced by intelligence professionals. The result is a book that balances academic insight with narrative accessibility. Whether one is a national security professional, a student of intelligence, or simply a curious citizen captivated by espionage thrillers, Spies, Lies, and Algorithms offers a lucid and timely exploration of a field undergoing tectonic change. Zegart makes a persuasive case: understanding intelligence today requires moving beyond the shadows and into the algorithms. Her book is essential reading. JFQ
Lieutenant Colonel Nalonie J.M. Tyrrell, USA, is an Assistant Professor in the College of Information and Cyberspace at the National Defense University