The Articulation between Knowledge and Intelligence in the Age of Information Overload

The intelligence analyst, whether he practices in the public or private sector, is confronted with a multitude of issues throughout his activity, from the collection to the diffusion of information, passing through the phases of comprehension and analysis: the overabundance of available data obliges him to refine his research techniques, while the emergence of fake news, alternative discourses and oriented contents aiming at influencing opinion pushes him to permanently exercise a critical look at the knowledge he is questioning. However, the relationship between intelligence practitioners and knowledge is not only passive, in the sense that on the one hand there is a mass of available information and, on the other, professionals in charge of analyzing it in order to answer a problem. Indeed, depending on the interpretation of the role of intelligence, it can be led to become itself, directly or not, a creator of knowledge. This article therefore returns to the issues of collection, but also to the reading grids adopted by the decision-makers and which define the extent to which knowledge may be used by the intelligence community.