Earlier this year I had the opportunity to speak to data scientist at the Central Intelligence Agency about the discipline of data science in 2017. That talk was equal parts technical and philosophical, but here I will focus on the latter. The discipline of data science has a very different feel today than it did a year ago. What was once the realm of the "unicorns" and "rocks stars," is now a place of scorn and ridicule. This is particularly sensitive for data scientist in the intelligence community. I will discuss how the last year has changed our professional posture, its affect on those in the intelligence community, and ask the audience to consider their own work through this prism

1. What would a
CIA data
scientist do?
A series of anecdotes, and opinions,
based on one person’s biased
experience and observations
Plot by Matt Lemmon
https://flic.kr/p/4YPT2m

6. Final Election Update: There’s A
Wide Range Of Outcomes, And
Most Of Them Come Up Clinton
Nate Silver, November 8, 2016

7. Confirmation Bias

9. Analyzing Terrorist Networks

10. Motivated Reasoning

11. Secretary of State Colin Powell
presented the United Nations and a
global television audience yesterday
with the most powerful case to date that
Saddam Hussein stands in defiance of
Security Council resolutions and has no
intention of revealing or surrendering
whatever unconventional weapons he
may have…Mr. Powell's most
convincing evidence was of efforts by
Iraq to shield chemical or biological
weapons programs from United Nations
inspectors.
— New York Times Editorial Board,
February 6, 2003

13. Denial

15. HIRE
VERTERANS