Inside the IC Ethics and intelligence: Tradecraft in the age of AI
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Mar 10, 2025 Cortney Weinbaum, a Senior management scientist at RAND, dives into ethics in intelligence work, arguing for a standard of proper tradecraft, especially as AI becomes prevalent. She links historical intelligence failures to inadequate tradecraft and emphasizes the need for officers to grasp the limitations of the technology they use. Cortney critiques existing compliance models and advocates for a more ethical approach through psychological safety and peer mentoring, all while navigating the complexities of politicization in intelligence.
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Ethical Duty To Use Tradecraft
- Intelligence officers should have an ethical duty to pick the right tools and methods for each task.
- Cortney Weinbaum calls this professional obligation 'using tradecraft' and argues failing to do so is unethical.
Tradecraft Linked To Historic Failures
- Weinbaum ties major intelligence failures to poor tradecraft, including WMD in Iraq and missed pre-9/11 connections.
- She argues better use of existing tradecraft might have mitigated those outcomes.
Checklists Cannibalize Ethical Judgment
- Treating analytic standards as checklists makes ethics a compliance activity rather than genuine judgment.
- Weinbaum warns that checking boxes like 'used structured technique' can mask misuse or poor application.