About

Understanding intelligence, power, and technological change

I'm John W. Little, an intelligence professional and technologist. This is my personal site, bringing together writing, conversations, and projects about intelligence, national security, artificial intelligence, technology, and culture.

I've been blogging about technology, security, and intelligence since 2002. My interests range from espionage and information operations to robotics, space exploration, and the tools changing how we live and work. The technology matters, but so do its effects on people, institutions, and international relations.

Building technology

In 1999, I co-founded bAnywhere, where we partnered with Lockheed Martin and NASA to develop the first wireless PDA-to-satellite communications system. More recently, I led global intelligence teams for a major AI, cloud, and services provider, building generative AI applications across the intelligence cycle.

Intelligence & public work

My work has included social monitoring tools for revolutions, contributions to the National Intelligence Council's Global Trends report, analysis of foreign information operations, and research into the role of bots in politics. My Iraq War writing was archived by the Library of Congress, and my technology and privacy work has been cited in federal court.

Technology & governance

A 2017 fellowship at the Institute for the Future brought another perspective: my cohort worked with the government of Iceland on the implications of technological disruption for governance.

Covert Contact and the archive

From 2014 to 2020, I hosted Covert Contact, speaking with people working in intelligence, diplomacy, journalism, technology, and security. The conversations explored espionage, conflict, privacy, propaganda, and the human consequences of decisions made far from public view.

Those episodes sit alongside years of writing and guest contributions. Some address emerging problems; others help explain a particular event or historical moment. Both belong here. An archive's value includes what it tells us about the world as it was understood at the time.

Beyond the headlines

Culture is part of that picture, too. I've had the opportunity to meet and interview people including Anthony Bourdain. Alongside the writing, I also build and share software, exploring the practical side of the technologies I cover.

For questions, correspondence, or media enquiries, please use the contact page.