AI and the Future of Counterterror
How AI and machine learning helps prevent terror attacks now and in the future
Most people over the age of 25 in the United States today remember with vivid detail where they were and what they were doing on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
I was in the waiting room of our pediatrician’s office with my wife and 7-month old daughter as the “Breaking News” banner appeared on the TV and the nightmare unfolded.
2,977 innocent people were killed due to the actions of 19 Muslim extremist hijackers: 2,606 in and around the World Trade Center in New York City, including over 414 first responders; 246 on the four planes; and 125 at the Pentagon.
Over the following days, weeks, and months, our nation underwent a transformation that was at once inspiring and chilling.
The realm of counterterrorism was distinctly analog in the years prior to 9/11, relying on chains of physical evidence, wiretaps, and spycraft.
But a new realm was just beginning to grow into its own in the background. As the internet boomed, online interaction via message boards and social media created what can best be described as a lawless “wild west” in which everyone with internet access could participate from behind a wall of digital…
