Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions
The 2025 Australia OSINT Community of Interest (COI) event took place recently in Canberra and brought together a diverse mix of intelligence professionals, thought leaders, and innovators. This year’s lineup featured high-profile speakers such as Kristin W. Wood, former head of the CIA Open Source Center; Vasyl Myroshnychenko, the Ukrainian ambassador, who shared unique insights from a frontline perspective; and Fivecast’s own VP of Engineering David Blockow, who offered a behind-the-scenes look at the hidden complexities of OSINT technology. The event was a hub for groundbreaking ideas, practical insights, and discussions that are set to influence the future direction of open-source intelligence across Australia and beyond.
reading from the US? Secure your spot at our upcoming US OSINT COI event in mid-May—register here!
1. Investing in Tomorrow: The Critical Role of Technology Innovation in OSINT
A recurring theme across all sessions was the critical need for investment in technology innovations, particularly in OSINT. Staying ahead in the rapidly evolving intelligence landscape requires continuous innovation and adaptation. This investment is not just about keeping up but about gaining a strategic advantage in intelligence operations. Leveraging cutting-edge technology is essential for effective intelligence gathering and analysis in a world where data is abundant, and threats are constantly evolving.
2. Navigating Global Power Shifts: Economic Security as a New Frontier in Intelligence
The Australian 2024 Independent Intelligence Review was highlighted, emphasizing the increasing risks posed by major power competition, particularly between the U.S. and China, and the growing global influence of autocratic states. Key threats such as disinformation, economic coercion, and information warfare reshape the intelligence environment. Strategic competition now hinges on who can collect, access, and gain actionable insights the fastest, providing a decision and intelligence advantage. Among its key recommendations, the review advocated for creating a dedicated economic security function within the Australian Treasury, backed by an additional investment of $44 million over four years. This underscores the critical role of economic security within Australia’s wider intelligence and national security framework.
3. Unifying Forces: Strengthening Integration and Collaboration in Intelligence
A recurring theme from our guest speakers was the need to strengthen integration across the intelligence community. There was a clear emphasis on enhancing collaboration not only between intelligence agencies but also across broader government sectors. This connected, whole-of-government approach is seen as vital to strategically leveraging intelligence, breaking down silos, and building a more unified and effective national intelligence community.
4. Expanding Horizons: The Future of OSINT Capabilities
There was a strong recommendation to invest in technological advancements and expand capabilities in open-source intelligence. OSINT is crucial for monitoring adversaries’ activities, including cyber threats and disinformation campaigns, by leveraging publicly available and commercially available data. To have an impact, OSINT must be tailored to different problem sets and decision-makers. Tactical OSINT to identify leads for covert collection is entirely different from strategic OSINT to inform an all-source intelligence assessment. Decentralizing the ‘doing’ of OSINT so that it is housed within each agency enables the efficient and effective production of insights to serve respective missions.
5. AI and the Future of Intelligence: Insights from Kristin Wood
Kristin Wood, CEO of August Interactive and former CIA Deputy Chief, highlighted AI’s transformative role in intelligence gathering. She introduced the term “Intercontinental Ballistic Narratives (ICBNs)” to describe the weaponization of social media for disinformation and propaganda. ICBNs can shape public opinion, create societal divisions, and undermine trust in institutions. AI and machine learning enhance these narratives by targeting and amplifying disinformation. Effective countermeasures require collaboration between governments, social media companies, and civil society, focusing on detection technologies, media literacy, and accountability policies.
6. The Harsh Realities of Global Conflict: Insights from the Ukrainian Ambassador
The Ukrainian ambassador provided a sobering perspective on the ongoing conflict, noting how technology is continually reshaping the landscape of modern warfare. Key insights focused on the evolving role and impact of technology innovations, particularly OSINT capabilities, in monitoring and understanding global conflict environments. He highlighted the growing relevance of open-source intelligence tools for identifying developments and informing timely, data-driven responses to international challenges.
7. Safeguarding the Digital World: Ensuring Online Safety for Children
The eSafety Commissioner’s office discussed its proactive measures in safeguarding against online harms. The enforcement of mandatory industry codes and standards was a key focus, highlighting the importance of regulatory frameworks in ensuring online safety. Even as children grow older, it is crucial to regularly check and monitor their online activities to prevent accidental exposure to harmful content.
8. Overcoming OSINT Challenges: Insights from Fivecast’s Engineering VP
David Blockow, VP of Engineering at Fivecast, shed light on the “99% invisible services” that underpin robust OSINT operations—the critical backend processes that keep intelligence solutions reliable and secure. Much of the hard work in OSINT takes place beneath the surface, especially in hostile, rapidly changing online environments. Fivecast must constantly adapt to adversarial collection scenarios, where platforms actively seek to block intelligence gathering, and to the ever-shifting nature of data sources, with APIs and layouts changing without warning.
9. AI’s Transformative Potential in OSINT: Opportunities and Challenges
The integration of AI in OSINT was a major focus. Discussions revolved around the challenges of developing relevant AI models, ensuring ethical AI use, and the impact of AI on decision support and risk detection. The potential of AI to revolutionize OSINT was clear, but so were the challenges. This integration is crucial for enhancing analytical capabilities.
10. Combating Mis/Disinformation: A Multifaceted Approach
The panel discussion with representatives from ASPI, the Australian Army, and industry was particularly engaging, emphasizing that tackling mis/disinformation requires a combination of measures. It’s a complex issue with no easy solutions, but the collaborative efforts discussed were promising.The OSINT Community of Interest event was a thought-provoking and insightful event with great opportunities for making new connections across the Australian intelligence community.
It underscored the importance of collaboration, technological investment, and continuous vigilance in the ever-evolving field of open-source intelligence. As we move forward, these insights will undoubtedly shape the future of OSINT and our collective efforts to create a safer, more informed world.
