How AI Is Transforming the Intelligence Cycle—and the Analyst’s Role
As intelligent as artificial intelligence may seem, it’s nothing without the human in the loop.
“AI is not intelligent,” said Ron Carback, Client Executive at CACI. “It’s math. It’s data science. It’s computer science. It’s software.”
AI has transformed workflows, processes, and mission outcomes. But in an interview with Fed Gov Today during DODIIS 2026, Carback argued that AI is a tool, not a complete solution. As AI’s capabilities broaden and yield intrinsic value, the human element cannot be forgotten or replaced.
“Let the human be the decision maker to ensure that there is that advantage that we have in terms of trying to discern … what AI should really do or not,” Carback continued.
AI’s emergence is particularly complicated within the Intelligence Community (IC), where tools must meet mission and security requirements that shift and change from one analyst to another. Analysts will need to know how to adopt AI well to conduct research, collect data, and exploit that data to complete their missions.
To learn more about how AI is transforming the analyst’s role in the IC, watch the video above.